Time Allocation Studies

⏱️ Time Study in Manufacturing – From Basic to Advanced Many people stop at basic time study… But real impact comes when you connect measurement → analysis → improvement. Here’s a complete view 👇 --- 🟢 BASIC LEVEL – Foundation (Start Here) 🔹 1. Break Process into Elements • Loading, machining, unloading, inspection • Clear start & end for each step 🔹 2. Record Time • Use stopwatch (continuous / snapback) • Take 10–20 cycles 🔹 3. Calculate Average Time • Element-wise average • Identify longest step 🔹 4. Apply Performance Rating • Adjust for operator speed (80%–120%) 🔹 5. Add Allowances • Fatigue, personal time, small delays 👉 Output: Standard Time ⚠️ Limitation: Only gives numbers, not full improvement insight --- 🔴 ADVANCED LEVEL – Where Real Improvement Happens 🔍 1. Start with Flow Understanding Use Value Stream Mapping • Identify value-added vs waste • Spot hidden delays --- 📊 2. Capture Variation (Not Just Average) • 25–50 observations • Study distribution & consistency Use tools like: • Microsoft Excel • Minitab 👉 Variation = hidden loss --- ⚖️ 3. Scientific Performance Rating • Avoid guess-based rating • Use standard methods (Westinghouse, benchmarks) --- ➕ 4. Dynamic Allowances • Based on job difficulty • Environment & fatigue • Machine dependency --- 🏭 5. Link with Lean & TPM • Lean Manufacturing • Total Productive Maintenance Identify: • Minor stoppages • Speed losses • OEE gaps --- 📈 6. Convert Study into Action • Line balancing • Bottleneck removal • Manpower optimization • Cycle time reduction 👉 No action = no value --- 🚀 7. Digital & Simulation (Next Level) • Test improvements before implementation Tools: • Arena Simulation • Siemens Tecnomatix --- 💡 Final Thought Basic time study tells you “how long it takes” Advanced time study tells you “why it takes that long—and how to improve it” --- #TimeStudy #LeanManufacturing #TPM #IndustrialEngineering #SixSigma #ContinuousImprovement #ManufacturingExcellen

🔹 What is Time Study Evaluation in Maintenance? Time study is a work measurement technique used to analyze how long it takes to complete a maintenance task. It helps in identifying delays, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement. In maintenance, time study evaluation means: Recording the actual time taken for each step of a job (like pump overhauling, roll change, hydraulic hose replacement). Comparing it with the standard time (based on best practice or past data). Identifying value-added vs non-value-added activities. --- 🔹 Steps in Time Study for Maintenance Jobs 1. Job Breakdown → Divide the maintenance activity into smaller steps. 2. Observation → Record the time taken for each step (using stopwatch or digital tool). 3. Analysis → Check where delays happen (e.g., waiting for tools, spares, permits). 4. Evaluation → Compare with standard times or benchmarks. 5. Improvement → Suggest measures like better tool availability, OJT, or SOP changes. --- 🔹 Why It’s Important in Maintenance Helps in setting realistic job standards. Identifies wastage of time (like unnecessary waiting or repeated steps). Improves planning of shutdowns and manpower allocation. Supports OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) and WCM (World Class Maintenance). Encourages continuous improvement by turning experience into data. --- 💡 Example in Rolling Mill: A pinch roll change normally takes 2 hours. Time study shows: 30 mins lost searching for tools, 20 mins waiting for crane, 10 mins due to unclear instruction. Improvement → Tool kit readiness, crane scheduling, and OJT training. Result → Job reduced to 1 hr 20 mins. --- ✅ Summary: Time study evaluation in maintenance is about measuring, analyzing, and improving job execution times to achieve higher efficiency, reliability, and productivity in the plant. #TimeStudy #WorkMeasurement #MaintenanceExcellence #SteelIndustry #RollingMill #IndustrialMaintenance #ReliabilityEngineering #ProductivityImprovement #ContinuousImprovement #LeanMaintenance #EfficiencyMatters #OEE #MaintenanceStrategy #WorldClassMaintenance #ProcessOptimization

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗱𝗮𝘆? It feels like pushing a boulder uphill… in the dark… with emails still pinging. For the past 3 years, I’ve worked full-time while pursuing my doctorate. I’ve sacrificed holidays, nights, and random pockets of free time. Not to grind harder but to stay consistent without burning out. Along the way, I relied on three study/time tools that helped me make sustainable progress 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟮-𝟯-𝟱-𝟳 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 When reviewing literature, data, or notes, I return to the same material at increasing intervals: → 𝟮 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 → 𝟯 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 → 𝟱 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 → 𝟳 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 Why it works: ↳ Strengthens long-term memory ↳ Reduces the fear of “forgetting everything” ↳ Allows mastery without marathon study sessions 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟴-𝟳-𝟯 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 I learned to divide my day into intentional blocks: → 𝟴 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 for work → 𝟳 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀for sleep (still non-negotiable) → 𝟯 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀  for focused study → 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲for everything else: commuting, family, meals, errands, rest, and the unpredictable moments life throws in. Why it works: ↳ Protects rest and productivity ↳ Defines a realistic study commitment ↳ Reduces guilt by making time visible and intentional ↳ Frees the rest of the day for life outside work + study, so burnout doesn’t take over 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱-𝟭𝟬-𝟭𝟱 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼-𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Instead of waiting for large, uninterrupted blocks, I used small windows: → 𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘀  to skim an abstract → 𝟭𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘀  to annotate a source → 𝟭𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘀  to write a paragraph or generate findings Why it works: ↳ Eliminates procrastination fueled by perfectionism ↳ Converts micro-moments into macro progress ↳ Keeps research present in daily thinking 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧? 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭. 𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑎 𝑃ℎ𝐷, 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔-𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑦 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙. 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! #WorkLifeBalance #Productivity #CareerGrowth #HigherEducation #FutureOfWork

Time blocking fills a calendar. Time allocation fulfills a vision. I learned that the hard way. Years ago, I was “blocking time” like crazy. Recruiting blocks. Call blocks. Follow-up blocks. I had a calendar full of good intentions. But here’s the truth: I rarely honored those blocks. If a meeting ran long, I’d move the block. If I was tired, I’d skip it. If something urgent came up, I’d erase it altogether. Blocking time gave me the illusion of progress. But it wasn’t moving me closer to my vision. Everything changed when I started allocating time instead of blocking it. Allocation is different. It’s a commitment you make in advance before the moment arrives, that says, “This is happening, no matter what.” For a recruiting leader, that’s everything. Because without allocated time: Vision is always out in the future. Recruiting never becomes a daily standard. Growth always stays “someday.” When you allocate time, you’re building a system you can trust: Affirmation allocation → Every conversation starts with affirmation. Vision allocation → Time set aside to refine and share where you’re going. Value allocation → Weekly moments to deliver something useful. Relationship allocation → Time to connect over coffee, lunch, or events. Objection allocation → Practice responses before the moment, not during it. Social allocation → Show up online with consistent posts and engagement. Follow-up allocation → Daily rhythm that ensures no one slips through the cracks. This isn’t about perfect schedules. It’s about standards. Most leaders block time. Few leaders allocate it. And that’s why few leaders ever fulfill their vision.

My latest in Fast Company summarizes my latest research on the allocation of time and remote work. Leisure went up, time at work went down, and we haven't yet seen a change in productivity. Read more below. Remote work has firmly established itself in the post-pandemic world, but how how does it shape the workday? My latest research reveals that between 2019 and 2023, remote workers significantly reduced their time at work while increasing leisure time. This trend persisted into 2023. Using data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), I document several key results. First, while remote workers spent about 28 minutes more per day at work in 2019 compared to their non-remote counterparts, they drastically reduced their working hours during the pandemic. By 2023, remote workers were spending 35 minutes less per day at work compared to 2019. This reduction in work time has been matched by an increase in leisure activities, rather than just a reallocation to household chores or childcare. Second, the changes in time use vary across demographic groups. For instance, men reduced their time at work by 33 minutes per day in 2021 and 58 minutes in 2022, but this reduction slowed to 13 minutes per day in 2023. In contrast, women continued to reduce their work time, with a notable drop of 76 minutes per day in 2023 compared to 2019. Third, the decline in work hours is not primarily due to reduced commuting times. Instead, it reflects actual reductions in work time, which may be linked to factors such as burnout, especially among women, and the challenges of returning to in-person work for those with caregiving responsibilities. As for the impact on productivity, it's still unclear. While greater flexibility might offset the effects of reduced labor, further research is needed to fully understand the implications of these changes. Another iteration of my paper builds a quantitative model to take productivity and self-selection more seriously. #remotework #workingfromhome #productivity #labor My paper: https://lnkd.in/ezjGBut9 https://lnkd.in/eziuR5nS

Look at someone's calendar for one week. You'll know their real priorities. Not what they SAY is important. What actually IS important to them. --- The pattern: SAYS: "Family is my priority" CALENDAR: 60-hour work weeks, zero family blocks SAYS: "Learning is crucial for growth" CALENDAR: No time blocked for reading, courses, or development SAYS: "Health comes first" CALENDAR: No workout slots, lunch meetings daily, no breaks --- Research from Stanford's BJ Fogg (Behavior Design): Behavior = Motivation × Ability × Prompt But there's a hidden factor: TIME ALLOCATION. You can't do what you don't schedule. The study tracked 1,000 professionals: → 73% said "strategic thinking" was top priority → Only 11% had dedicated calendar time for it → Result: Reactive work dominated, strategy suffered --- The calendar doesn't lie. It shows: → What you actually value (vs. what you say) → Where your energy goes (busy vs. productive) → Who has access to you (availability patterns) → What gets sacrificed first (unblocked items disappear) --- Three types of professionals: TYPE A: REACTIVE CALENDAR → Every slot available for others to book → No buffer time between meetings → Personal priorities = "fit in when possible" → Constantly overwhelmed, never strategic TYPE B: CONTROLLED CALENDAR → Time blocks for deep work (sacred) → Meeting clusters (batch scheduling) → Personal priorities scheduled first → Busy but purposeful TYPE C: OPTIMIZED CALENDAR → Theme days (Monday = strategy, Tuesday = meetings) → 50% scheduled, 50% flexible (handle unexpected) → Weekly review time blocked → Align calendar with goals quarterly --- The test: Print your last month's calendar. Highlight: → Green = Aligned with stated priorities → Yellow = Necessary but not priority-driven → Red = Time waste, misalignment What percentage is green? If less than 40%: Your calendar owns you. --- The fix isn't "better time management." It's CALENDAR INTEGRITY. Make calendar match priorities, or change your stated priorities. --- What does YOUR calendar say about your real priorities? #TimeManagement #Productivity #Leadership References: Fogg, B. J. (2019). Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything. Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - "Put first things first."

Fascinating new research from Microsoft reveals the gap between how developers want to spend their time and how they actually allocate it. The study shows that developers spend the most time on meetings and debugging, but would prefer to allocate significantly more time to coding, architecting, and designing systems. What's most interesting: the researchers found a direct correlation between this gap and both productivity and satisfaction. The larger the mismatch between ideal and actual time allocation, the less productive and satisfied developers are. The study also challenges the current focus of AI tools in software development. While many AI tools focus on coding assistance, developers actually want to spend more time on coding, not less—and automate other tasks like documentation, environment setup, and security & compliance. Read my summary of the findings from this study:

Think you’re too busy for a career change? Give me 5 minutes to prove you wrong: “𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚." That’s what Sarah said during our first coaching session. She worked a demanding job, juggled family responsibilities, and barely had time to breathe. So, I introduced her to a time-tracking process using the Wheel of Life. The Wheel of Life is excellent at identifying areas where reallocating time and energy can benefit career transition. It shifted Sarah’s perspective and got her on track. Here's how it can work for YOU too: Step 1: Assess Current Time Allocation ╰┈➤ Rate satisfaction in each area on your Wheel of Life on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high). ╰┈➤ Notice thriving and neglected areas. Sarah rated her time allocation. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 scored a 3, while Family and Social Life thrived at 8s and 9s. She realized she was spending so much time taking care of others and unwinding with Netflix that her career dreams were simmering on the back burner. Step 2: Analyze Time Allocation ╰┈➤ Track your activities over a week to see where your time is ACTUALLY going. ╰┈➤ Compare your time audit with the Wheel of Life. Sarah’s tracked week: ⤳8 hours of social media scrolling ⤳5 hours volunteering (she loved it, but it didn't align with her goals) ⤳15 hours of TV and relaxation When we compared this with her Wheel of Life, Sarah realized these hours could be reallocated to focus on her career change. Step 3: Employ Time Reallocation Strategies ╰┈➤ Once you've pinpointed areas that could use adjustment, consider time relocation strategies. Sarah took the following action: 📌 Reduced Social Media: Sarah set a daily limit of 30 minutes, freeing up 5 hours weekly. 📌 Scaled Back Volunteering: She paused one activity temporarily, gaining 3 more hours. 📌 Time-Blocked Career Priorities: Sarah reserved 3 evenings per week and one 4-hour block on the weekend for career change activities. These small changes gave her 10+ hours a week to focus on her career goals without overhauling her life. Step 4: Focus on High-Impact Career Change Activities ╰┈➤ Ensure the reallocated time is spent effectively. Within 3 months, Sarah had strengthened her network, updated her documents, and mapped out a career growth path. Step 5: Periodically Reassess ╰┈➤ Revisit the Wheel of Life monthly to track progress and adjust allocations. The Wheel of Life didn’t help Sarah magically gain more hours in her day, but it did help her realign her time with her priorities. If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, try mapping your Wheel of Life. You might be surprised where your “hidden hours” are waiting. What’s one area you could reallocate from to focus on your career goals? Share in the comments below. ⬇️ _____________ 🚀 Repost to help someone who needs to hear this message! ✅ Follow Dr. Heather Maietta 🔔 Click my name → Hit the bell → See my posts.

🚨 New Publication Alert! 🚨 Sharing that our paper “Share of Time in Omnichannel Retailing: Definition and Measurement” has now been published in the latest issue the Journal of Retailing (Volume 101, 2025)! Co-authored with: Syed Rahman Noman Chowdhury, MBA, PhD Siggi Gudergan Martin Wetzels Dhruv Grewal 📌 In this paper, we introduce and validate a novel concept—Omnichannel Share of Time (OSoT)—to measure how customers allocate their time across a retailer’s physical and digital channels relative to competitors. With four mixed-method studies, we developed a robust, easy-to-administer 4-item scale that captures the temporal dimension of customer engagement. 💡 Why it matters: Retailers aren’t just competing for wallet share—they’re competing for time. OSoT provides a powerful, predictive metric to help businesses enhance the customer experience (CX), increase engagement, and co-createvalue. ⚡ The OSoT concept and scale are designed to capture behavioural patterns of time allocation, offering a valuable alternative to intention-based metrics. As time is one of the most limited and valuable customer resources, understanding how it’s distributed across channels provides actionable insight for optimizing CX strategies. 🔗 Read the full open access paper here: https://lnkd.in/ghfBVzMN #Shareoftime #CustomerExperience #CustomerEngagement #ValueCocreation #ScaleDevelopment 🧠 Interested in Omnichannel Retailing? See more of our recent work here: 📘 How do omnichannel customer experiences affect customer engagement? Theory and empirical validation [Journal of Business Research] https://lnkd.in/gk3VVRni (SM Rahman, J Carlson, SP Gudergan, M Wetzels, D Grewal) 📘 Perceived omnichannel customer experience (OCX): Concept, measurement, and impact [Journal of Retailing] https://lnkd.in/df7WwHrS (SM Rahman, J Carlson, SP Gudergan, M Wetzels, D Grewal) 📘 SafeCX: A framework for safe customer experience in omnichannel retailing [Journal of Services Marketing] https://lnkd.in/gfwqRYY5 (SM Rahman, J Carlson, NH Chowdhury) University of Newcastle Newcastle Business School, Australia Macquarie Business School Oxford Brookes University James Cook University EDHEC Business School Babson College

I recently reviewed a study by Michael Porter on how 27 CEOs across private and public companies spend their time. I was curious to see how my own time allocation measures up, and some of the results were fascinating. For my network of CEOs and Founders, I’d love to know: how does this compare to your schedule? 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: ◆ Average of 9.7 hours/day ◆ 79% work on weekends ◆ 70% work on vacation days ◆ Average work week = 62.5 hours 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: ◆ Average sleep: 6.9 hours ◆ Average exercise: 45 min/day ◆ Average of 6 hours/day non-working (including 2.1 hours of downtime/family time) 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: ◆ 61% face-to-face/live meetings (synchronous communication) ◆ 24% email/electronic communication ◆ 15% phone, reading, etc. ◆ 43% on activities furthering their primary agenda ◆ 36% on reactive issues (only 1% in "crisis mode") ◆ 11% on routine tasks (must-do activities) 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: ◆ 16% on business partners ◆ 9% on external commitments (media, industry groups, boards) ◆ 5% on the Board of Directors ◆ 3% on customers ◆ 3% on investors 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐬: ◆ 25% on functional and business unit reviews ◆ 25% on developing people and relationships ◆ 21% on strategy ◆ 16% on org structure and culture ◆ 4% on other 𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲: I definitely need to prioritize more sleep and downtime! I also want to spend more time with our business partners to maximize the partnerships we have in place at Lively, Inc.. I think I’ve found my resolutions for 2026. Happy New Year, everyone! #growthmindset #livelyhsa #timewellspent #timeismoney #restmatters #founderjourney