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Time study sheet

A time study measures how long each element of a job takes by timing it over a number of cycles, then turns the times into a standard time: the time a trained operator needs at a normal pace, with allowances for personal needs, fatigue and delays. The results feed standard work, line balancing and comparisons with takt time. Page 1 of this template is the observation sheet, with up to 12 elements by 10 cycles and columns for the lowest repeatable time, average, rating, normal time, allowance and standard time. Page 2 explains the calculation with a worked example and has room for irregularities and your site's allowances. The Excel version works out the average, lowest repeatable, normal and standard time, units per hour and the comparison with takt.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the time study sheetFields for process, part, station, operator, observer and date, a choice of unit and of average or lowest repeatable, and a table of 12 elements by 10 cycles with columns for lowest repeatable, average, rating, normal time, allowance and standard time.
Elements by 10 cyclesLowest repeatable and averageRating and allowanceStandard time per cycleWorked exampleIrregularities logComparison with takt in Excel

When to use it

When to use a time study sheet

  • To set or check a standard time before writing standard work or balancing a line.
  • To compare stations with takt time and find the bottleneck.
  • Before and after a kaizen, to measure the change in cycle time.
  • When a product, method or layout changes and the old times no longer fit.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Split the job into elements

    Watch a few cycles first. Break the job into elements of a few seconds or more, each ending at a point you can see or hear, and write the end point down.

  2. 2

    Time 10 cycles

    Time each element in each cycle. If something interrupts a cycle, leave that time out and note it under irregularities.

  3. 3

    Find the average and lowest repeatable

    Average the good cycles. The lowest repeatable time is the lowest time that came up at least twice.

  4. 4

    Rate the pace

    Give each element a rating: 100% is a normal, steady pace as your site defines it.

  5. 5

    Work out normal and standard time

    Normal time = average × rating ÷ 100. Standard time = normal time × (1 + allowance). Your site sets the allowance.

  6. 6

    Compare with takt

    Add up the elements for the standard time per cycle and compare it with takt time. The Excel version shows it as a percentage of takt.

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example with illustrative numbers: one element of an assembly job, timed over 10 cycles.

Ten timed cycles, then the standard time

  • Cycle 1: 11 seconds
  • Cycle 2: 12 seconds
  • Cycle 3: 10 seconds
  • Cycle 4: 12 seconds
  • Cycle 5: 11 seconds
  • Cycle 6: 10 seconds
  • Cycle 7: 13 seconds
  • Cycle 8: 11 seconds
  • Cycle 9: 12 seconds
  • Cycle 10: 11 seconds

Standard time = average × rating × (1 + allowance)

  1. Average =113 s ÷ 10 cycles= 11.3 s
  2. Normal time =11.3 × 0.95= 10.7 s
  3. Standard time =10.7 × 1.15= 12.3 s

Ten cycles of 11, 12, 10, 12, 11, 10, 13, 11, 12 and 11 seconds. Average 11.3 seconds; rated at 95 percent, normal time 10.7; with a 15 percent allowance, standard time 12.3 seconds.

The rating and the allowance turn the observed average into a standard time. The 15% allowance is an example: use your site's.
  • Element: fasten four screws, ending when the driver is back in its holder.
  • Times in seconds: 11, 12, 10, 12, 11, 10, 13, 11, 12 and 11. The average is 11.3, and the lowest repeatable is 10, as it came up twice.
  • A rating of 95% gives a normal time of 11.3 × 0.95 = 10.7 seconds.
  • With an allowance of 15%, an example figure, the standard time is 10.7 × 1.15 = 12.3 seconds.

The same steps for every element give the standard time per cycle, which the team compares with takt before balancing the line. The 15% allowance is only an example: use the one your site has set.

Common mistakes

  • Elements with no clear end point

    If the observer is not sure where an element ends, the times drift. Write the end point next to each element.

  • Timing through interruptions

    A dropped part or a question from someone inflates the average. Leave the cycle out and note why.

  • Too few cycles

    Three cycles can hide a lot of variation. Time at least 10, and more if the times jump around; the time study sample size calculator says how many more.

  • Timing a new or rushed operator

    Time a trained operator working at a steady pace, and tell them what you are doing and why.

  • Mixing machine and operator time

    Time them apart. Machine time does not get a rating or the same allowances.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

LeanSuite's Vision AI does the time study from one phone video of the process: it times every element, splits each operator's time into value-added, semi-value-added and non-value-added, and links each figure to its video frame for you to review and certify.

See it in a 45-minute demo

FAQ

Time study sheet: common questions

  1. A way of measuring how long each element of a job takes by timing it over several cycles, then working out a standard time for a trained operator at a normal pace, with allowances. It is the basis for standard work and line balancing.

  2. The lowest time for an element that came up at least twice in the observed cycles. It shows what the job takes when nothing gets in the way, and some teams use it instead of the average for standard work. A single very low time is left out, as it may be a misreading.

  3. Take the average time for each element, multiply it by the rating to get the normal time, then multiply by one plus the allowance. For example, 11.3 seconds × 0.95 × 1.15 = 12.3 seconds. Your site sets the allowance.

  4. At least 10 for a short, repeated job, and more when the times vary a lot. The time study sample size calculator works it out from your first readings: the 10 readings in the example above, averaging 11.3 seconds, need 15 cycles for an average within 5% at 95% confidence. Leave out cycles with an interruption and note why.

  5. Cycle time is how long one cycle takes when you watch it. Standard time adjusts the observed time for the operator's pace and adds allowances for personal needs, fatigue and delays.

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