Productivity Improvement

Checklists

Improving poor time utilization

Here is a checklist of common causes of poor / low time utilization (time wasters.) These are prime targets when seeking to improve productivity. The old addage, "money is time" is no more true, than in business. Apply your team members job knowledge, together with this checklist to identify areas for improvement.

Rigorously examine each item using the questions contained in this PDF.

TIP: Measure the before and after effect wherever possible. That is, you should attempt to quantify each cause of waste time you attack, in terms of money, time and material. This way you can objectively assess the difference you have made.

Waste of Time

  • Lack of proper planning, keeping workers waiting between jobs or waiting for material
  • Failure on the supervisor's part to thoroughly understand orders and instructions received
  • Lack of knowledge of what constitutes a full day's work
  • Failure to make orders and instructions clear to workers
  • Failure to insist that tools supplies, and portable equipment be kept in proper places
  • Ordering overtime work that could be avoided
  • Not seeing that workers are supplied with proper tools and equipment for every job
  • Allowing workers intentionally to do less work than they can
  • Failure to inform human resouces department when more labour is required
  • Keeping too many workers
  • Failure to write records and requisitions intelligibly
  • Failure to question and correct workers who lay off
  • Allowing workers to get habit of talking, visiting, killing time
  • Failure to get workers to start on time, slack supervision
  • Delay in making decisions
  • Unnecessary absenteeism or tardiness on the supervisor's part
  • Being late with reports
  • Not investigating immediately when repairs are needed
  • Unnecessary visiting and conversation on the job
  • Failure on the supervisors's part to organize his / her time and work
  • Lack of proper planning, keeping workers waiting between jobs or waiting for material

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