Chapter 8
Human Resources
Operations Management
Roberta Russell & Bernard W. Taylor, III
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Beni Asllani
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Factors in Job Design
 Task analysis

how tasks fit together to form a job
 Worker analysis

determining worker capabilities and responsibilities for a
job
 Environment analysis

physical characteristics and location of a job
 Ergonomics

fitting task to person in a work environment
 Technology and automation

broadened scope of job design
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
8-2
Process Flowchart Symbols
Operation:
An activity directly contributing to product or service
Transportation:
Moving the product or service from one location to another
Inspection:
Examining the product or service for completeness,
irregularities, or quality
Delay:
Process having to wait
Storage:
Store of the product or service
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Process Flowchart
Job:
Copying Job
Date:
9/11
Analyst:
Calvin
Page:
Process Description
Process Symbols
Desk operator fills out work order
Work order placed in “waiting job” box
Job picked up by operator and read
Job carried to appropriate copy machine
Operator waits for machine to vacate
Operator loads paper
Operator sets machine
Operator performs and completes job
Operator inspects job for irregularities
Job filed alphabetically in completed shelves
Job waits for pick up
Job moved by cashier for pick up
Cashier completes transaction
Cashier packages job (bag, wrap, or box)
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Job Photo-Id Cards
Time
(min)
Operator
–1
WorkerMachine
Chart
–2
–3
–4
Date
Time
(min)
10/14
Photo Machine
Key in customer data
on card
2.6
Idle
Feed data card in
0.4
Accept card
Position customer for photo 1.0
Idle
Take picture
0.6
Begin photo process
Idle
3.4
Photo/card processed
Inspect card & trim edges
1.2
Idle
–5
–6
–7
–8
–9
Worker-Machine Chart: Summary
Summary
Operator Time
%
Photo Machine Time
%
Work
5.8
63
4.8
52
Idle
3.4
37
4.4
48
Total
9.2 min
100%
9.2 Min
100%
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
8-6
Motion Study
 Frank & Lillian Gilbreth
 Find one “best way” to do task
 Divide task into therbligs
 Search, select, grasp, hold
 Use videotape to study motions
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
8-7
General Guidelines for
Motion Study
 Efficient Use Of Human Body
 Work
simplified, rhythmic and symmetric
 Hand/arm motions
coordinated and simultaneous
 Employ full extent of physical capabilities
 Conserve energy
use machines, minimize distances, use momentum
 Tasks
simple, minimal eye contact and muscular effort, no
unnecessary motions, delays or idleness
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
8-8
General Guidelines For Motion Study
 Efficient Arrangement of Workplace
 Tools, material, equipment - designated, easily
accessible location
 Comfortable and healthy seating and work area
 Efficient Use of Equipment
 Equipment and mechanized tools enhance worker
abilities
 Use foot-operated equipment to relieve hand/arm
stress
 Construct and arrange equipment to fit worker use
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
8-9
What is Job Design?
Defined
 Job design is the function of specifying the
work activities of an individual or group in an
organizational setting.
 The objective of job design is to develop jobs
that meet the requirements of the
organization and its technology and that
satisfy the jobholder’s personal and
individual requirements.
Trends in Job Design

Quality control as part of the worker's job.

Cross-training workers to perform multiskilled
jobs.

Employee involvement and team approaches
to designing and organizing work.

"Informating" ordinary workers through
telecommunication networks and computers.
Trends in Job Design
(Continued)

Extensive use of temporary workers.

Automation of heavy manual work.

Organizational commitment to providing
meaningful and rewarding jobs for all
employees.
Uses of Learning Curves
Internal:
labor forecasting,
scheduling, establishing
costs and budgets
External: supply chain negotiations
Strategic: evaluation of company and
industry performance,
including costs and pricing
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
8-13
Underlying Principles of Learning
Curves
1. Each time you perform a task it takes less
time than the last time you performed the
same task.
2. The extent of task time decreases over
time.
3. The reduction in time will follow a
predictable pattern.
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
 Illustrates
improvement rate of
workers as a job is
repeated
 Processing time per
unit decreases by a
constant percentage
each time output
doubles
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Processing time per unit
Learning Curves
Units produced
8-15
Learning Curves (cont.)
Time required for the nth unit =
tn = t1n b
where:
tn = time required for nth unit produced
t1 = time required for first unit produced
n = cumulative number of units produced
ln r
b=
where r is the learning curve percentage
ln 2
(decimal coefficient)
Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
8-16