Efficiency Methods
An Introduction to Scientific Management

TIME-STUDY AND MOTION-STUDY QI may not be performed many times in a week or month, and not by many people. Is it worth while to put the time-study men on to these ? It is here that the value of analyzing operations into small elements appears. Many miscellaneous jobs are made up by combining a comparatively small number of elements differently ; and if one knows the time for each of these, the time for even a new miscellaneous job will be almost determined by putting them together; just a few special ob- servations on the combination may be needed, and possibly a few new element determinations. This way of regarding different jobs as to a large extent made up of the same elements has strongly impressed itself on all workers at time-study—so much so that the permanent value of getting the best possible way for each of certain elemental motions has been recognized. Since Dr. Taylor first made the suggestion in his article on a Piece- Rate System in 1895 1 there have been numerous appeals, by those interested, for a pooling of the results obtained in timing the elements of industrial operations ; so that all manufacturers should benefit by the records made in one establishment. It has been hoped that the United States Government would start a Bureau of Information on the subject. Unfortunately, so far, very little has been accom- plished towards this end; it still remains an 1 To be read in C. B. Thompson’s collection of papers; see also “ Shop Management,” p. 177 ; and, on the same subject, the closing paragraphs of Gilbreth’s “ Motion Study.”