00:00Welcome to Unified Consulting Solutions, where we simplify complexity and amplify performance.
00:06Now, let me ask you something. Have you ever looked at a project and you just know it should be further along?
00:11Your team is busy, everyone's putting in the hours, but the progress, it just doesn't seem to match the effort.
00:17So where does all that time actually go?
00:19Well, today, we're going to dive into a really powerful tool that answers that exact question.
00:24It's called work sampling.
00:25And trust me, it's a total game changer for finding those hidden problems and unlocking what your team is truly capable of.
00:32Okay, so here's what we've got on tap.
00:34First, we'll talk about the big problem, hidden inefficiency.
00:37Then we'll introduce the tool itself, what work sampling actually is.
00:41After that, we'll get into the method, you know, how it works step by step.
00:44We'll look at the incredible insights you get from the data, peek into the future of this technique, and then, of course, wrap up with the key takeaways.
00:51So, by the end of this session, you're going to walk away knowing exactly what problem work sampling solves, how to define it, and the basics of how to run a study.
00:59More importantly, you'll see how to use that data to make real improvements and get a glimpse of where this technology is headed.
01:05All right, let's get right into it.
01:07All right, first up, the problem of hidden inefficiency.
01:11This is all about that gap between how productive we think we are and how productive we actually are.
01:16So, I'll ask you again.
01:19Do you really know where your team's time goes?
01:22I mean, we all have our plans, right?
01:23Our schedules, our to-do lists.
01:25But the reality, well, the reality of where the minutes and hours are actually spent can be, frankly, pretty shocking.
01:32And that gap, that's where all the low productivity and high costs are hiding out.
01:37This is a huge deal, especially in places like construction.
01:39But imagine for a second, what if you could peel back that curtain and see exactly what's going on?
01:46And here's the thing.
01:47This isn't about people being lazy or not working hard enough.
01:51Not at all.
01:52The real enemy here is what we call invisible waste.
01:55You know, time that just evaporates because of bad logistics or waiting around for materials or because the instructions weren't clear.
02:02It's the kind of stuff you can't fix if you can't even see it's happening.
02:05And that, that is exactly what work sampling does.
02:08It makes the invisible totally visible.
02:11So, how do we pull this off?
02:13How do we find that invisible waste?
02:16Well, let's talk about the tool for the job.
02:18It's a surprisingly simple but powerful method called work sampling.
02:22Okay, so what is it?
02:24Forget about that old school image of a manager hovering over someone with a stopwatch all day long.
02:29That's annoying, it's disruptive, and honestly, it doesn't even give you a true picture.
02:33Work sampling is way smarter.
02:35It's a statistical method.
02:37You take a whole bunch of observations at random times to get a snapshot of how time is spent.
02:42The best analogy?
02:43Think about a pollster trying to predict an election.
02:46They don't have to talk to every single voter, right?
02:48They just need a good random sample to get a really accurate picture.
02:52That's exactly what we're doing here.
02:54So, when you put it side by side with a traditional time study, the benefits just jump off the page.
03:00Work sampling is way cheaper and quicker.
03:02It's way less disruptive for your workers, which is huge, because it means you're seeing what really happens on a normal day.
03:08Plus, a single person can study a whole crew, not just one worker.
03:12It's just a much more practical tool for the real world.
03:16Okay, so we know what it is.
03:17We know why it's great.
03:19Let's get into the nuts and bolts.
03:21How do you actually do a work sampling study?
03:24It's probably a lot simpler than you think.
03:26It really boils down to five basic steps.
03:30First, you've got to define your objectives.
03:32What question are you trying to answer?
03:34Then, you identify the specific activities you're going to look for.
03:38Step three is super important.
03:40You have to figure out your sample size.
03:42Basically, how many observations do you need to take to make sure your results are legit and not just a fluke?
03:47It's all about statistical confidence.
03:49After that, you just collect the data, making those random observations, and then finally, you analyze it all.
03:54Now, at the core of all of this is a really simple but powerful framework.
04:00Every single activity you observe can be dropped into one of three main buckets.
04:04Understanding these categories is the key to making sense of all the data.
04:09First up, you've got direct work.
04:12This is the good stuff.
04:13This is the hands-on activity that is actually adding value and moving the project forward.
04:18You know, a carpenter swinging a hammer, an electrician pulling wire.
04:22This is what the customer is actually paying for.
04:25Next, there's indirect work.
04:27Now, this stuff is necessary.
04:28You can't do the job without it.
04:30But it isn't the main event.
04:32It's things like transporting materials, reading plans, or setting up a tool.
04:36It supports the direct work, but it's not the work itself.
04:40And last but definitely not least, we have ineffective work.
04:43And folks, this is pure waste.
04:45It adds zero value.
04:46This is your waiting time, travel time, idle time, all that stuff.
04:50But here's the secret.
04:51This category isn't bad news.
04:53It's your biggest opportunity.
04:55Finding this waste is like discovering a gold mine for improvements.
04:59And to prove how simple this concept is, check this out.
05:02It's not a construction site.
05:04It's a study where students just tracked their own time for a few days.
05:07And look what they found.
05:09They got this perfect visual breakdown of where their time went.
05:12Class, studying, leisure, all of it.
05:15It just goes to show you these principles can be applied literally anywhere to find out where your time really goes.
05:22Okay, so you've done the study.
05:23You've got your data.
05:24Now for the best part.
05:26Let's talk about what the numbers actually reveal and how we turn that data into action.
05:31Check this out.
05:32This is from a real study on a concreting crew.
05:34And the results are, well, they're kind of shocking.
05:3850%, half of their entire time on the job was non-value added.
05:44Just think about that.
05:45For every eight-hour day, that's four hours down the drain.
05:49Only about a third of their time was spent on actual, direct, productive work.
05:53Mind-blowing, right?
05:55And this wasn't a one-off.
05:57Here's another study.
05:58This time with a formwork crew.
06:00And guess what?
06:01It's the same story.
06:02Over 43% of their time was non-value added.
06:05Again, less than a third of the day was spent doing the actual job.
06:09Once you have data like this, you just can't ignore it.
06:12That invisible waste is suddenly staring you right in the face.
06:15Now, this is maybe the single most important point of the whole presentation.
06:21This is not about blaming workers.
06:23It's not a tool to get people to work faster.
06:25It is the exact opposite.
06:27The whole point is to find and fix the problems in the system that are holding your team back.
06:31You use this data to fix the process, to make their jobs easier and more efficient.
06:35It is all about working smarter, not just harder.
06:39You might be surprised to hear that work sampling has been around for over 100 years.
06:44But don't let its age fool you.
06:46This technique is getting a massive upgrade.
06:49Let's talk about how technology is breathing new life into this classic method.
06:53This is so cool.
06:56On the left, you see a normal work sampling chart.
06:58It tells you what happened.
07:00Useful for sure.
07:01But look at the image on the right.
07:03This is location-based work sampling.
07:05By adding a simple GPS tag to each observation, you now know where it happened.
07:10Suddenly, you have a heat map of your job site.
07:12You can spot bottlenecks in real time.
07:14Hey, why is all the idle time happening over by that one gate?
07:18It adds a whole new dimension to your analysis.
07:20It's a total game changer.
07:21And it just keeps getting better.
07:23We're talking about AI that can analyze massive data sets to find patterns a human would miss.
07:28Machine learning that can watch a video feed and automatically recognize what activity is happening.
07:33Wearable tech that collects data in real time.
07:35No clipboards needed.
07:36People are even using VR to simulate a work environment and run these studies before a project even starts.
07:42This is the future.
07:43And it's happening right now.
07:45All right.
07:46So let's wrap this up with the key takeaways.
07:48First, a lot of our time, way more than we think, is spent on stuff that adds no value.
07:54Second, work sampling is a fantastic, low-cost way to make all that waste visible.
07:59Third, and this is the big one, the goal is always to fix the system, not blame the worker.
08:04And finally, technology is taking this already great tool and making it even more powerful.
08:09We really hope this has opened your eyes to the power of work sampling.
08:13Here at Unified Consulting Solutions, under the guidance of Dr. Marimutu Kay,
08:17we truly believe that you can't improve what you don't measure.
08:20So I'll leave you with a question to think about.
08:22What invisible waste is happening in your organization right now?
08:26And what could you accomplish if you could finally see it?
08:29To continue the conversation, please join our community on LinkedIn.
08:32You'll find the link right there in the description.
08:33And of course, be sure to like, share, and subscribe so you don't miss out on our next session.
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