Shop Management

168 SHOP MANAGEMENT delays. These elements can, however, be studied with about the same accuracy as the others. Perhaps the greatest difficulty rests upon the fact that no two men work at exactly the same speed. The writer has found it best to take his time observa- tions on first-class men only, when they can be found; and these men should be timed when working at their best. Having obtained the best time of a first-class man, it is a simple matter to determine the percentage which an average man will fall short of this maximum. It is a good plan to pay a first-class man an extra price while his work is being timed. When work- men once understand that the time study is being made to enable them to earn higher wages, the writer has found them quite ready to help instead of hin- dering him in his work. The division of a given job into its proper elementary units, before beginning the time study, calls for considerable skill and good judgment. If the job to be observed is one which will be repeated over and over again, or if it is one of a series of similar jobs which form an important part of the standard work of an establishment, or of the trade which is being studied, then it is best to divide the job into elements which are rudi- mentary. In some cases this subdivision should be carried to a point which seems at first glance almost absurd. For example, in the case of the study of the art of shoveling earths, referred to in Table 3, page 164, it will be seen that handling a shovelful of dirt is subdivided into,