Efficiency Methods
An Introduction to Scientific Management

THE SCHEDULE TIME OR STANDARD TASK II3 obtained and called the standard deviation. This percentage of the average time is taken as standard time. It should be remarked that the observer, before computing average or shortest time, rejects any recorded times that seem to him anomalous, whether too high or too low. Also that each set of com- putations is made on the work of a single man; but a number of men may be separately studied and the results compared. The method seems to have given good results. It will be noticed that some of the expedients tried use both average and shortest time as a basis; others only the shortest. It will very probably occur to the reader after reflection that the percentage allowance on best time must really be influenced by the economic situation with regard to labour. The first result of the time- study experiments, if their effect is according to anticipation, is to increase the productiveness of the workers. This may lead directly to increase of output, or it may lead to diminishing the number of workmen employed on these particular operations. Thus the girl inspectors of bicycle balls (see p. 101) were considerably reduced in number. Taylor’s shovellers at the Bethlehem Works were reduced from between 400 and 600 to about 140.1 It is not to be assumed that the girls or men taken off these jobs were dismissed ; most of them probably had other work found for them in the same industry. But if 1 “ Principles of Scientific Management,” p. 71.