Mr Cheng

Activity Sampling

|Activity Sampling |A technique in which a large random sample of snap observations is taken over a period of time of a group |
|(also known as Work |of machines, processes or workers. |
|Sampling) |Each observation records what is happening at that instant of time randomly picked. The percentage of |
| |observations recorded for a particular activity or delay is a measure of the percentage of the time during|
| |which that activity or delay occurs in the work situation. |
| |The primary task of the technique is to identify and compare the productive and non-productive activities |
| |to the total study time period. |
|Rated Activity Sampling|An extension of activity sampling to obtain the standard time by providing rating and allowance |
| |percentages. |
|Applications |In industries where large numbers of similar machines and workers engaged on similar tasks are employed. |
|Underlying Principle |The theory of activity sampling is based on the laws of probability and binomial distribution. The concept|
| |is that the characteristics of a large enough, yet unbiased sample chosen at random would be |
| |representative of the population characteristics. |

|Reasons why activity sampling is preferred to time study: |
|1 |An activity sampling study can be interrupted or temporarily delayed at any time