The Effects of Increasing Skill on Cycle Time and Its Consequences for Time Standards

Abstract It has been found that when a work cycle is repeated many times or a number of examples of the same product are made, the time required per cycle or product falls progressively over very long periods even among skilled and experienced operatives. This fact complicates the setting of time-standards for production work. Formulae are provided by means of which due account of the fall of cycle time may be taken when making time-studies and which provide a fundamental quantitative approach to the estimation of skill resulting from experience.