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Part Two
Design
Figure S9.1 Time study of a packing task – standard time for the whole task calculated
Worked example
Two work teams in the Monrovian Embassy have been allocated the task of processing
visa applications. Team A processes applications from Europe, Africa and the
Middle East. Team B processes applications from North and South America, Asia and
Australasia. Team A has chosen to organize itself in such a way that each of its three team
members processes an application from start to finish. The four members of Team B
have chosen to split themselves into two sub-teams. Two open the letters and carry out
the checks for a criminal record (no one who has been convicted of any crime other than
a motoring offence can enter Monrovia), while the other two team members check for
financial security (only people with more than Monrovian $1,000 may enter the country).
The head of consular affairs is keen to find out if one of these methods of organizing
the teams is more efficient than the other. The problem is that the mix of applications
differs region by region. Team A typically processes around two business applications
to every one tourist application. Team B processes around one business application to
every two tourist applications.
A study revealed the following data:
Average standard time to process a business visa = 63 standard minutes
Average time to process a tourist visa = 55 standard minutes