How long does each element really take?
Every element timed on a timeline that links to the video, split into value-added, necessary and waste.
Time and motion study: Time and motion study software that works from a phone video
Built for assembly cells and repetitive work. Film the station on a phone; the AI times every element and every cycle. You get cycle time, standard time, takt, units per hour, value-added split and operator balance, then review and certify.
What it answers
One phone video in, the study out
Film the work, upload the file, and the AI drafts the timing. You check it and certify it.
What is the true cycle time?
A cycle study times every cycle on its own. The mean is the cycle time and the spread shows the variation.
How a study is madeIs the work balanced between operators?
Each operator's cycle time, idle time and utilization against takt, in a Yamazumi chart.
Line balancingWhat should we fix first?
ECRS findings ranked by the seconds they recover, each with a countermeasure.
See the findings
Three kinds of study
Film the cell, the station or the cycle
Pick the study that matches the video. Each one asks for a different shot and gives back a different report.
Wide shot
Several operators in one frame: an overhead or cell camera.
The AI identifies the operators first and you confirm the roster before the analysis runs, so every element is timed against the right person.
Close-up station video
One station, hands and workpiece in frame.
A step study: it skips operator identification and breaks the work into granular steps, for a method study of a single station.
Cycle study
Short repeating cycles at one station, such as an assembly line.
Operators are confirmed first, then every cycle is timed on its own, so you get a true cycle time, its variation and the standard time per unit.
Not sure how to film it? Read the filming guide.
How it works
A study in three steps, then your review
The AI does the timing. You confirm who is in the frame, correct what it got wrong and certify the result.
Details
Name the study, pick the process and, if you like, describe the process in your own terms.
Upload video
A phone, tablet or fixed camera recording of the cell or the station. Choose a wide shot, a close-up or a cycle study. Standard 1080p smartphone footage works; no camera crew or special hardware is needed. Single uploads can be up to 4 hours, and longer studies can be stitched from several segments inside LeanSuite.
Review & analyze
For a wide shot or a cycle study, confirm the operator roster first. Then the AI times every element, and every cycle in a cycle study.
Correct and certify
Split or merge elements, ask for a re-check of one time window, then certify the study. Studies of the same process teach each other.
Cycle study of Operator 2, 10 cycles
Overview tabCycle study of one station: 10 cycles timed at 55, 58, 60, 56, 62, 57, 54, 59, 61, 58 seconds. Mean cycle time 58.0 s, range 54 to 62 s, standard time 63.8 s per unit with a 10% allowance, takt 60 s, 62 units per hour.
- Cycle time
- 58.0 s
- Variation
- 54–62 s
- Standard time
- 63.8 s
- Units per hour
- 62
Every cycle is timed on its own; the mean is the cycle time and the range is its variation. Standard time here adds a 10% allowance to the mean. Units per hour is 3,600 s over the cycle time.
In a cycle study every cycle is timed on its own. The mean is the true cycle time, the spread is its variation, and the standard time per unit, takt and units per hour follow from it.
From video to study
Who does what, in order
The AI does the timing. You decide what is right.
You
Film the work
A phone, tablet or fixed camera on the cell or station. Choose a wide shot, a close-up or a cycle study.
You
Upload and name it
Upload the file, name the study and pick the process. For a wide shot or cycle study, confirm who is in the frame.
The AI
Times the elements
Every element, and every cycle in a cycle study, each linked to the frame it came from.
You
Check, certify, export
Split or merge elements, re-check a window, certify the study and export the PDF.
The report
The numbers a time study is for
Each study report has six tabs. The figures below are live on it, each linked to the video it came from.
- Timeline
- Overview
- Elements
- Waste
- Balance
- Findings
- Cycle time
- How long one unit takes, measured from the video rather than a stopwatch.
- Standard time
- The time per unit to plan and quote against.
- Takt
- The pace demand sets, shown next to the measured cycle.
- Units per hour
- Output at the measured cycle time.
- VA / semi-VA / NVA %
- Value-added, semi-value-added and non-value-added shares of the time, with time by category.
- Bottleneck element
- The element that sets the pace, so you know where to look first.
Operator balance
A Yamazumi chart against takt, with the manpower it implies
The Balance tab shows each operator's cycle time, idle time and utilization, the imbalance between them and how many operators could do the work if it were perfectly balanced. The Yamazumi chart stacks every element by value-add, necessary and idle, and exports.
Operator Balance
Balance tabYamazumi chart of 4 operators against a takt of 60 seconds. Operator 1: 34 s value-add, 12 s necessary, 12 s idle, 79% utilization; Operator 2: 40 s value-add, 18 s necessary, 0 s idle, 100% utilization; Operator 3: 30 s value-add, 10 s necessary, 18 s idle, 69% utilization; Operator 4: 28 s value-add, 8 s necessary, 22 s idle, 62% utilization. Cycle time 58 s, total idle 52 s, imbalance 38%, about 3 operators could do this work if perfectly balanced.
- Cycle time
- 58 s
- Total idle
- 52 s
- Imbalance
- 38%
≈ 3 operators could do this work if perfectly balanced (180 s of work at a 60 s takt; ideal load 45 s each)
| Operator | Engaged | Idle | Utilization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator 1 | 46 s | 12 s | 79% |
| Operator 2bottleneck | 58 s | 0 s | 100% |
| Operator 3 | 40 s | 18 s | 69% |
| Operator 4 | 36 s | 22 s | 62% |
Cycle time is the slowest operator's engaged time; imbalance is slowest minus fastest over slowest. Across the four, 57% of the time is value-add, 21% necessary, 22% idle.
The same timings feed line balancing, where you rebalance the work between stations.
Findings & Countermeasures
ECRS findings ranked by the seconds they recover
The Findings tab ranks improvement opportunities with ECRS: eliminate, combine, rearrange, simplify. Each has a countermeasure and the seconds it recovers; sort by saving or priority and read the total recoverable time.
Findings & Countermeasures for Operator 2
Findings tabFindings and countermeasures for Operator 2, ranked by saving: Eliminate: Walk to the shared torque driver every cycle, countermeasure A second driver kept at the station, recovers 6 s; Rearrange: Fastener bin sits behind the operator, countermeasure Move the bin into the reach zone, recovers 4 s; Combine: Two separate label scans per unit, countermeasure Scan both labels in one pass, recovers 3 s; Simplify: Bracket orientation checked twice, countermeasure Orientation mark on the fixture, recovers 2 s. Total recoverable 15 s of a 58 s cycle.
EliminateWalk to the shared torque driver every cycle
Countermeasure: A second driver kept at the station
−6 s
RearrangeFastener bin sits behind the operator
Countermeasure: Move the bin into the reach zone
−4 s
CombineTwo separate label scans per unit
Countermeasure: Scan both labels in one pass
−3 s
SimplifyBracket orientation checked twice
Countermeasure: Orientation mark on the fixture
−2 s
Sorted by saving. ECRS: eliminate, combine, rearrange, simplify.
Total recoverable 15 s of a 58 s cycle
You stay in control
Correct, re-check, certify, compare, export
The AI proposes; an engineer decides. Every tool below is on the study report.
Edit the timeline
Split, merge, copy and paste elements on a timeline synced to the video, so the study says what you saw.
Re-check this window
Ask the AI to re-check one time window instead of the whole video. Re-checks are kept with the study.
Certify the study
Certify a checked study. Studies of the same process teach each other, so use the same wording each time.
Operators and processes
Confirm who is in the frame before analysis. Every study sits under its process, so the history of a station stays in one place.
Compare two studies
Put study A next to study B with their value-added percentages, and save it under Comparisons.
Export PDF
Export the report to PDF for the kaizen board, the customer or the file.
Manual vs. video
Stopwatch study or video time study
A stopwatch study means timing every element and building the charts by hand. With LeanSuite you film the process and review the AI's timings instead.
Stopwatch study
One element at a time
An observer times each element by hand, then builds the Yamazumi in a spreadsheet.
A few cycles, rounded
Operators work differently when watched, numbers get rounded and micro-stops are missed.
No record
Once the study is written up, there is nothing to check a figure against.
Video time study in LeanSuite
Every element from the video
The AI splits each operator's time on a timeline synced to the footage.
Every cycle, the same way
A cycle study times each cycle on its own: cycle time, variation and standard time, no rounding.
A record you can re-check
Every figure links back to its frame. Re-check a window, certify the study, export the PDF.
Who it is for
What each role gets from the same video
Industrial engineers
The timing and the charts are drafted for you, so your time goes on checking and on the fix.
Continuous improvement leads
Findings ranked by the seconds they recover, and a certified study to compare the next one with.
Line and cell supervisors
Operator balance against takt, and a Yamazumi chart to show the team.
Operations leaders
A PDF report for the kaizen board, the customer or the file.
Honest limits
What it can and cannot do from video
What it does
- Reads video you record and upload: 1080p phone footage is enough, single uploads up to 4 hours.
- Stitches several segments for a longer study, inside LeanSuite.
- Links every figure to the frame it came from, so each number can be checked.
What it does not
- It does not watch a live camera or send alerts at the station. It analyses files you upload.
- It does not replace your judgment: you review and certify every study.
- It is built for assembly cells and repetitive work.
FAQs
Time and motion study questions, answered
A time and motion study measures how long each element of a task takes and how the work is done, to separate value-added work from waste and set a standard time. It is the basis for line balancing, standard work and takt comparisons.
Create a study in three steps: name it and pick the process, upload the video, then review and analyze. For a wide shot or a cycle study you confirm the operators first. The AI builds the timeline and the report; you review it, correct it and certify it.
Film a wide shot when several operators share a cell and you want their balance. Film a close-up of one station for a step-by-step method study. Film a cycle study when one station repeats a short cycle, such as an assembly line, and you want the true cycle time, its variation and a standard time per unit.
In a cycle study every cycle is timed on its own, so the report shows the cycle time, how much it varies from cycle to cycle and the standard time per unit, along with takt and units per hour.
Yes. On the timeline you split, merge, copy and paste elements, and you can ask the AI to re-check one time window. When the study is right, certify it. Studies of the same process teach each other, so use the same wording for the process each time.
Yes. The Balance tab shows each operator's cycle time, idle time and utilization, the imbalance between them and a manpower estimate of how many operators could do the work if it were perfectly balanced, with a Yamazumi chart by element colour-coded value-add, necessary and idle.
Findings & Countermeasures ranks improvement opportunities using ECRS (eliminate, combine, rearrange, simplify). Each has a countermeasure and the seconds it recovers, you can sort by saving or priority, and the report totals the recoverable time.
Yes. Compare two studies side by side, A against B with their value-added percentages, and save the comparison. Any report exports to PDF.
Footage is encrypted in transit and at rest, processed in your dedicated tenant and never used to train external models. You control retention and deletion.
FREE RESOURCES
Free templates and tools
Not ready for software yet? Start with these free resources.
- Time study sheetTime each element over 10 cycles and work out the average, lowest repeatable and standard time. Excel does the sums.
- Standard work sheet templateTakt time, each element's manual, machine and walk time on a time chart, key points and standard WIP.
- Process capacity sheet templateEach machine in a part's routing with manual, auto and tool change time, its capacity per shift, and the step that limits the cell against demand.
- Cycle time calculatorCycle time against takt, units per hour, capacity per shift and the gap to daily demand.
- Takt time calculatorThe pace a line must hit to meet customer demand, from shift time, breaks and daily demand.
- Line balancing calculatorLine efficiency, balance delay and the minimum number of stations from station times and takt.
Film your slowest station first
Book a demo and bring one video of it. See the cycle times, the Yamazumi chart and the findings it produces. Vision AI is priced separately.