The amount of time required to complete an assigned work task is known as work measurement.
In business and human resource terms, a measure of work is the time it takes to complete a general work task assigned to a specific job. Work measurements can be a very effective way for managers to determine the amount of time needed to complete work tasks. In addition, a work measurement can help identify any problems or obstacles that are causing a failure in the ability to perform a task in a reasonable time.
Work metrics are created by observing and documenting the time parameters required to perform certain key tasks in a work environment. Under ideal circumstances, tasks are performed repeatedly in an approved manner by multiple employees, and a supervisor logs the time to determine the average time it takes to complete a defined task. This measurement of work is then compared to the quality of work performed, plus anything that potentially slows down the process so the task can be improved accordingly.
The technique for conducting a work measurement study is a three-pronged approach: job task data analysis, data collection and measurement, followed by data synthesis. This means that each task is broken down and analyzed against industry labor standards to determine which vital components need to be checked for timeliness and quality of work. The data may be obtained independently of other studies within the industry or may be based on previous studies measuring work on similar tasks.
Once the work review takes place, the actual work is done under close supervision and the data is collected into a system to track certain times and tasks, such as a spreadsheet. After running multiple job metering tests, this data is compared to analytical data to see how close the task times are, which in turn ensures that accurate and reasonable data is collected. These general data create a starting point for improving certain levels of achievement and productivity of the workforce during the synthesis period.
Better work measurement offers many benefits to organizations. An accurate system of established job measurements can reduce labor costs, increase overall productivity, and improve supervision of future staff. Additionally, job metrics can help an organization make strategic hiring decisions, design training and development programs, and schedule tasks to occur at optimal times to help the organization grow.