At a Glance
- Wasting time on NVA activities can lead to reduced workforce productivity and utilisation, project delays, compromised work quality and increased rework.
- The implementation of wrench time studies can help to identify time-wasting activities, enabling the workforce to achieve a greater output within the same timeframe without increasing the employees’ workload.
- The core methodology involves observational studies of workforce activities. Renoir’s key methods in this area include DILO, Ratio Delay Studies, and Root Causes Identification.
Time is money for any business. However, not all working hours are spent on productive, value-adding activities.
When employees waste time on non-value-adding (NVA) activities or work inefficiently, it leads to the following negative outcomes:
- Reduced workforce productivity and utilisation. A significant amount of effort is wasted on tasks that do not directly support core business goals. For example, technicians may experience significant idle time while waiting for spare parts during maintenance.
- Project delays, missed deadlines, and backlog accumulation. Projects can fall behind schedule and miss deadlines due to interruptions such as the unavailability of continuous work fronts, leading to a backlog of pending tasks like maintenance.
- Compromised work quality and increased rework or errors. When the focus is not on value-adding tasks, the quality of work may deteriorate, leading to errors and the need for rework.
Understanding Wrench Time Studies
There are effective strategies to eliminate time-wasting activities, enabling the workforce to achieve a greater output within the same timeframe without increasing their workload. This can be accomplished through the implementation of wrench time studies.
Wrench time studies are designed to quantify the proportion of time employees dedicate to direct, value-adding productive activity. It is intended to identify and measure losses and inefficiencies in how time is utilised. These studies provide insights into productivity and quality performance.
The core methodology involves observational studies. At Renoir, our consultants conduct direct observations of workforce activities over a specified period. While several techniques are available, the following are among the key methods typically employed by our consultants:
- Day in the Life of (DILO): This involves shadowing an employee (e.g. frontline staff or supervisor) for an entire shift, recording their activities on a minute-to-minute basis. It provides a detailed understanding of how time is allocated, highlights inefficiencies, and reveals the root causes of underperformance or time-wasting activities that do not directly contribute to business objectives.
- Ratio Delay Studies: This is the simplest form of observation based on a series of snapshot observations, typically every 2 or 5 minutes, throughout a shift. Activities are categorised as either working (engaged in value-adding tasks) or not working (idle time). This method establishes a baseline productivity level and helps identify periods or causes of underutilisation.
- Root Causes Identification: The data gathered from these observational studies is instrumental in diagnosing the underlying factors contributing to lost productive time. The issues could stem from poor planning, ineffective supervision, material unavailability (particularly in maintenance), or non-adherence to shift schedules.
Client Success Story: A threefold increase in wrench time
Problem statement: A district cooling provider in the Middle East sought to sustain its current market position by identifying opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its maintenance processes.
Actions: Renoir was engaged to conduct a comprehensive analysis of their maintenance functions. Over a two-week period, our consultants conducted various studies, including 32 field studies, accumulated more than 318 hours of observations. The findings revealed a wrench time of approximately 30%.
Outcomes: We launched a targeted initiative aimed at doubling wrench time by structurally improving performance management, work planning, preparation, organisation, process supervision and reporting. By the end of the project, wrench time increased from 2.55 hours to 6 hours per technician, per day.
Do you need solutions to get more done in the time available by eliminating time-wasting activities?
