To talk about improvement we need to know first what productivity is in a technical view as a work application. As Montaño said, productivity is the proportion that is achieved between the made product or proportionate service and the inputs that have intervened in the accomplishment of this product or service[1]; a measure of how efficiently an organization converts inputs into outputs.
Taking into account its definition, it is important to know how to improve the productivity in companies. The specialization and division of the work are some of them. These allow major knowledge of the work, increase of the quality and therefore major performance of the workman; in addition there is a better control of the work, a decrease of mistakes and wastes and enables delegation. Mechanization saves time of manufacture, increases number of working hours, eliminates costs of training compensations and rewards, etc.
Standardization allows a decrease of costs of maintenance, the scale and scope production. As scientific management (developed by Taylor) arguments, nonstandard labor practices are too expensive and wasteful; their approach was to homogenize the labor element of operation: standard methods and standard time.
Productivity improvement involves methods study, with flowcharting as operator-machine time chart. Methods study, aimed at improving as well safety and ease of performing the work; ergonomics and the well design of distribution of plant are important issues in productivity.
Effective communication clarifies the objectives of the whole organization and therefore allows saving time. Training, education, planning and coordinating activities form effective work. What is very important is to integrate as many employees as possible into this process.
As Leon Ho express “Procrastination is the biggest time thief of all!” By identifying the reasoning behind procrastination issues, solutions can be found, such as breaking
Bibliography: MONTAÑO,Agustín. Administración de la producción. Cap 3 “Productividad”. Editorial Trillas, 1988 REID, Dan. SANDERS, Nada. Operations Management. Chap 2 “Operations strategy and competitiveness”. 2002 KNOD, Edward. SCHONBERGER, Richard. Operations management, meeting customers demand. Part IV, Chap 12 “OM Resources”. McGraw Hill, 2001. LEON HO. 5 Ways to Improve Your Productivity in the Office, January 24 2006. Accel –Team. Checklist 2006 ----------------------- [1] MONTAÑO, Agustín. Administración de la producción. Cap 3 “Productividad”. Editorial Trillas, 1988. P24 [2] LEON HO. 5 Ways to Improve Your Productivity in the Office, January 24 2006. [3] Accel –Team.Checklist 2006