Thursday, 7th May 2009 | by Ray Martin
Method study is the process of subjecting work to systematic, critical scrutiny in order to make it more effective and/or more efficient.
It was originally designed for the analysis and improvement of repetitive, manual work, but it can be used for all types of activity at all levels of an organisation.
The process is often seen as a linear, described by its main steps of:
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Select (the work to be studied);
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Record (all relevant information about that work);
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Examine (the recorded information);
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Develop (an improved way of doing things);
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Install (the new method as standard practice);
- Maintain (the new standard proactive).
Although this linear representation shows the underlying simplicity of method study, in practice the process is much more one of iteration around the above steps with each dominating at a different stage of the investigation.
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Friday, 17th April 2009 | by Ray Martin
The term ‘productivity’ is widely used, it appears daily in our national press and frequently on the TV news channels. Members of parliament, leaders of industry, commerce, and trade organisations, all repeatedly refer to the need to increase the level of productivity,
The word is is far easier to use than to define. Among those who can define it, only a few can do so so in terms precise enough to evaluate the level of productivity in a given work situation. However, this is more usually attempted in a manufacturing industry than in those whose end product is a service.
Essentially a Ratio
Productivity is the ratio between input and output: the measure of the amount gained from a process, in terms of quantity and quality of a product or service, in return for a given input of resources.
These resources may be:-
or, as is generally the case, a combination of all four
Monday, 23rd February 2009 | by Ray Martin
Binmen given computers to build household ‘rubbish profiles’
Waste collection crews are being issued with devices featuring GPS technology that allow councils to store a history of information about individual rubbish collections, including whether householders are failing to recycle properly.
The system feeds binmen with up-to-the minute information about houses they are visiting.
It also provides local authorities with enough information to issue recycling advice or automated fines to residents who fail to obey bin rules.
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Friday, 13th February 2009 | by Ray Martin
Value Management is a style of management particularly dedicated to motivating people, developing skills and promoting synergies and innovation, with the aim of maximizing the overall performance of an organization.
Value Management has evolved out of previous methods based on the concept of value and functional approachThese were pioneered by Lawrence D. Miles in the 1940’s and 50’s who developed the technique of Value Analysis (VA) as a method to improve value in existing products.
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Thursday, 5th February 2009 | by Ray Martin
The Health and Safety Offences Act came into force this month (17 January) signalling tougher penalties for those who breach health and safety regulations.
The new Act raises the potential punishments available to the courts in relation to health and safety offences, quadrupling the maximum fine in the magistrates courts from £5k to £20k.
Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Executive, Geoffrey Podger, urged that, although the Act does not impose any new duties on employers or businesses, it will act as a real deterrent to those who do not take their health and safety responsibilities seriously.
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