Foundations: Productivity, Work & People

Measure, improve and humanise work. What industrial engineers do, productivity and capacity measures, method and time study, and ergonomics and human factors for safe, efficient work.

• Introduction to Industrial Engineering & Productivity — What industrial engineers do: design, improve and manage systems of people, machines, materials, information and money. Learn the history (Taylor, Gilbreths, Ford, Toyota), the systems view, productivity (partial and total factor), efficiency, utilisation and capacity, the key sub-fields (work study, operations research, production planning, quality, lean, supply chain, ergonomics, economics) and how IE applies to factories, hospitals, airports and software — with Python for productivity and utilisation.
• Work Study: Method Study & Time Study — Finding the best way to do a job and how long it should take. Learn method study (select, record, examine, develop, install, maintain), process charts and symbols, flow diagrams, motion economy and therbligs, time study with a stopwatch (cycles, rating, normal time, allowances, standard time), required sample size, predetermined motion time systems (MTM, MOST), work sampling, and standards for planning and incentives — with Python for a full time study.
• Ergonomics & Human Factors — Designing work to fit people. Learn physical ergonomics (anthropometry and percentiles, posture, manual material handling, the revised NIOSH lifting equation, RULA/REBA), work physiology and fatigue, workplace environment (lighting, noise, heat), cognitive ergonomics (displays, controls, mental workload, human error), organisational ergonomics and safety — with Python applying the NIOSH lifting equation.