Operations Management: Processes and Supply Chains, 12th Edition

The Learning Curve Concept

The learning effect can be represented by a line called a learning curve, which displays the relationship between the total direct labor per unit and the cumulative quantity of a product or service produced. The learning curve relates to a repetitive job or task and represents the relationship between experience and productivity: The time required to produce a unit decreases as the operator or firm produces more units. The curve in Figure I.1 is a learning curve for one process. It shows that the process time per unit continually decreases until the 140th unit is produced. At that point learning is negligible and a standard time for the operation can be developed. The terms manufacturing progress function and experience ...