When a task takes too long, the problem is not always that someone is working slowly. The process may include unnecessary travel, waiting, poorly located tools, duplicated steps, searching, or rework that adds time without improving the result.
A time and motion study helps you observe how a task is performed, measure how long each activity takes, and identify where the working method can be improved.
In this guide, you will learn how to conduct a time and motion study step by step, calculate and interpret the results, compare a process before and after improvement, and apply the method in a small business. You can use it in ecommerce, retail, restaurants, warehouses, offices, hotels, and service businesses.
The goal is not to pressure employees to work faster. The goal is to improve the way the work is done before setting targets, adding staff, or automating a poorly designed process.
You can also download the free Time and Motion Study Excel Template used in the example.
Quick answer: A time and motion study combines two perspectives. A time study measures how long a task and its activities take. A motion study examines how the work is performed to identify unnecessary travel, waiting, searching, duplication, and rework. The practical sequence is to observe the current method, measure comparable cycles, improve the method, measure again, and compare the results without ignoring quality or safety.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Time and Motion Study?
- When Should You Conduct a Time and Motion Study?
- Before You Start: Set Up a Valid Study
- How to Conduct a Time and Motion Study Step by Step
- How to Calculate and Interpret Time Study Results
- Complete Time and Motion Study Example
- Common Time and Motion Study Mistakes
- Free Time and Motion Study Excel Template
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Improve the Method Before You Set the Target
What is a time and motion study?
A time and motion study is a method for analyzing how long a task takes and how the task is performed.
The time component helps establish a measurable reference. The motion component helps identify movements, delays, searches, repeated actions, and other parts of the method that may be consuming resources without improving the output.
What a time study measures
A time study focuses on duration. Instead of measuring only the total task, it can show how much time is consumed by each activity.
- Time required for each activity
- Total task duration
- Variation between comparable cycles
- Waiting and interruptions
- Average observed time
- A practical time reference for the current method
For example, preparing an order may take approximately 18 minutes. That total alone does not explain where the problem is. Once the task is divided into activities, you may discover that more than seven minutes are spent searching for products while five minutes are spent packing.
What a motion study examines
A motion study focuses on how the work is performed. It is not limited to counting seconds. It looks for actions that consume effort, distance, or time without contributing enough value to the result.
- Travel between work areas
- Searching for products, tools, or information
- Changing or retrieving tools
- Duplicate data entry
- Waiting for approvals
- Unnecessary reaching or turning
- Corrections and rework
- Interruptions that stop task progress
An employee can remain busy and move throughout the entire shift while the process itself remains inefficient. That happens when the person must repeatedly walk between locations, search for materials, wait for information, or enter the same data more than once.
Time study vs. motion study
| Aspect | Time Study | Motion Study |
|---|---|---|
| Main question | How long does the task take? | How is the task performed? |
| Unit of analysis | Seconds or minutes | Actions, movement, and work sequence |
| Main purpose | Establish a measurable reference | Improve the working method |
| Typical result | Observed or average time | More efficient work sequence |
Why time and motion should be analyzed together
Measuring a poorly designed method can turn inefficiency into a target. If an employee has to walk across a warehouse several times to complete one order, simply timing those trips does not solve the underlying problem.
A better sequence is:
Observe the method → identify waste → improve the sequence → measure again → establish a reference.
This approach makes the study more useful because the objective is not simply to reduce the number on the stopwatch. The objective is to improve the process that produces that number.
When should you conduct a time and motion study?
A time and motion study is useful when there is a gap between the expected result and what is actually happening in day-to-day operations. You do not need to wait until the problem becomes a crisis.
When a task takes too long
An ecommerce business may notice that some orders are prepared in 12 minutes while similar orders take more than 25 minutes. Breaking the task into activities can show where that difference comes from.
When similar employees or shifts produce very different times
Different completion times do not automatically mean one employee is underperforming. People may be using different methods, working with different tools, following different layouts, or receiving different levels of training and support.
A study helps separate those operating conditions from assumptions about individual speed.
When work starts to pile up
- Orders waiting to ship
- Customers waiting for service
- Appointments running late
- Invoices waiting to be processed
- Inventory waiting to be stored
A backlog may be caused by insufficient capacity, but it may also be caused by one slow activity, unnecessary approval, repeated data entry, poor layout, or another bottleneck.
When errors and rework increase
A process can appear fast while generating incorrect orders, returns, complaints, or repeated work. Time should therefore be evaluated together with the quality of the output.
Before hiring more staff
Measuring the work can help distinguish a real capacity shortage from a poorly organized method. In some cases, reorganizing materials, reducing travel, or removing unnecessary steps can release capacity without immediately increasing payroll.
Before automating a process
Automation does not automatically fix a bad process. It can simply make unnecessary steps or errors happen faster. Review the method first, remove avoidable complexity, and then decide what is worth automating.
When equipment, software, or layout changes
A new system, a warehouse layout change, different equipment, or a new sales channel can alter how long a task takes. A Before and After study helps verify whether the change actually improved operations.
Before you start: set up a valid study
Before using a stopwatch, define exactly what you are going to observe. This prevents you from comparing different types of work or interpreting incomplete measurements as if they were equivalent.
Choose one specific task
Select a task that is reasonably repeatable, observable, measurable, and has a clear beginning and end.
| Business | Too Broad | Better Task |
|---|---|---|
| Ecommerce | Manage orders | Prepare one paid order |
| Restaurant | Serve customers | Take and enter one order |
| Retail | Manage inventory | Receive and store one case |
| Hotel | Clean rooms | Clean one standard room |
| Office | Manage invoices | Enter and approve one invoice |
Define clear start and end points
The start and end should be observable events and remain the same across every comparable cycle.
Start: the order appears as paid.
End: the package is closed, labeled, and placed in the dispatch area.
If one cycle ends when the box is closed and another ends when the package reaches the carrier, the results do not represent the same task.
Select comparable cycles
A one-item order should not automatically be compared with a 20-item order, a return, or an order requiring special packaging. Define the conditions that make observations comparable before collecting the data.
Define quality criteria
Time alone is not enough. Decide what must remain acceptable while you improve the method.
For the ecommerce example, the quality criteria can include:
- Correct SKU and quantity
- Product adequately protected
- Package properly closed
- No unsafe movement or condition introduced by the new method
Prepare an observation record
Your record should capture enough information to understand both the time and the conditions behind it. The Excel template in this guide includes fields for Stage, Cycle, Date, Activity, Time, Observed Type, Cause or Movement, Quality OK, Observation, and Proposed Improvement.
How to conduct a time and motion study step by step
To make the method easier to follow, the next 12 steps use one continuous example: preparing paid orders in a small ecommerce operation.
Step 1. Define the objective of the study
State the problem you want to understand and the result you hope to improve. Focus the objective on the process rather than judging an individual employee.
Better objective:
Identify which activities cause order preparation to exceed 20 minutes and find opportunities to reduce that time without increasing errors.
Poor objective:
Find out whether the warehouse employee works fast enough.
The first objective encourages process improvement. The second can turn the study into a speed test without investigating the method or operating conditions.
Step 2. Select a specific task
The task should be observable and relevant to capacity, cost, quality, or customer service.
Instead of measuring “manage orders,” the example measures:
Prepare a paid order until the package is closed, labeled, and placed in the dispatch area.
Step 3. Define the start and end points
Use exactly the same boundary for every cycle.
- Start: the order appears as paid.
- End: the package reaches the dispatch area ready to ship.
Changing the boundary during the study makes the measured cycles difficult to compare.
Step 4. Break the task into activities
Divide the task into activities that are detailed enough to identify delays without creating an unnecessarily complex measurement system.
- Review the order
- Search for products
- Pick the required products
- Verify SKUs and quantities
- Prepare packing materials
- Pack the order
- Print the shipping label
- Move the package to dispatch
For a basic small-business study, you do not need to divide the task into microscopic hand or body movements. That level of detail belongs to more advanced industrial studies.
Step 5. Describe the current method
Before timing the task, observe how the employee currently performs it.
In the example, the employee:
- Reviews the paid order on the computer.
- Writes the products on a separate sheet.
- Walks to the storage area.
- Searches for each SKU.
- Returns to the packing table.
- Verifies quantities.
- Walks to another station to print the label.
- Moves the package to dispatch.
Before measuring anything, several possible problems are already visible: duplicate recording, a distant printer, repeated walking, and products that may not be organized around picking frequency.
Starting with the stopwatch before understanding the method can produce data without explaining the causes behind it.
Step 6. Observe several comparable cycles
Measure the task more than once under reasonably comparable conditions. One observation may be affected by an interruption, unusual order, system problem, or other exceptional event.
In this example, the workbook contains five Before cycles and five After cycles involving orders with one to three products under similar operating conditions.
Important: five cycles are used here to demonstrate the method. They are not a universal sample-size recommendation. The number of observations required depends on task duration, variation, frequency, conditions, and the level of precision needed.
If observed times vary substantially, investigate why and collect additional comparable observations before treating the average as a reliable reference.
Step 7. Record the time for each activity
Record the observed time for each activity and make sure every complete cycle contains the same active activities.
| Activity | Cycle 1 | Cycle 2 | Cycle 3 | Cycle 4 | Cycle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Review order | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Search for products | 7.5 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 7.1 |
| Verify items | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.0 |
| Pack order | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.1 |
| Print label | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Move to dispatch | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| Total cycle time | 18.8 | 18.2 | 18.8 | 18.7 | 18.6 |
The table immediately shows that Search for products consumes much more time than the other activities. If only total cycle time had been recorded, that opportunity would be less visible.
Step 8. Record waiting, interruptions, and abnormal events
Do not automatically mix every unusual event into the normal reference without understanding what happened.
For example, one order might take much longer because:
- A product is missing
- The employee must search the inventory system
- An approval is required
- The system temporarily stops responding
- The order must be repacked because of an error
The event should not simply be deleted from the study. It may reveal an important process problem. Instead, record enough context to separate normal work from unusual conditions.
The Excel template uses these practical observation categories:
- Normal
- Waiting
- Travel
- Search
- Rework
- Interruption
Step 9. Analyze the motions and causes
Once you know where time is being consumed, look at what the employee is actually doing during that time.
In the ecommerce example, the study identifies repeated walking, products spread across several locations, packing materials stored separately, and a printer located away from the packing station.
| Observation | Classification | Possible Action |
|---|---|---|
| Pick the required product | Necessary | Keep |
| Walk to a distant printer | Travel / improvable | Relocate |
| Enter the same order information twice | Unnecessary | Eliminate |
| Wait for routine approval | Waiting | Review approval rule |
| Repack because of an error | Rework | Correct the cause |
Visible movement is not the same as productive work. The question is whether the movement helps complete the task correctly and efficiently.
Step 10. Design a better method
A simple way to challenge the current method is to use the ECRS sequence:
Eliminate → Combine → Rearrange → Simplify
Applied to the ecommerce example:
- Eliminate: remove duplicate manual order recording.
- Combine: verify items while packing when this does not compromise accuracy.
- Rearrange: collect products using one planned picking route.
- Simplify: create a packing station with boxes, tape, protective material, and the printer nearby.
The goal is not to tell the employee to walk faster. It is to reduce how much unnecessary walking the task requires.
Step 11. Measure the improved method again
After implementing the changes, repeat the observations using comparable tasks and conditions.
| Activity | Before Average | After Average | Time Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review order | 1.10 | 0.86 | 21.8% |
| Search for products | 7.20 | 4.10 | 43.1% |
| Verify items | 2.10 | 1.70 | 19.0% |
| Pack order | 5.00 | 4.00 | 20.0% |
| Print label | 1.32 | 0.50 | 62.1% |
| Move to dispatch | 1.90 | 1.20 | 36.8% |
| Average cycle time | 18.62 | 12.36 | 33.6% |
The absolute time reduction is:
18.62 − 12.36 = 6.26 minutes saved per order.
The percentage reduction is:
6.26 ÷ 18.62 × 100 = 33.6% time reduction.
However, a faster method is only an improvement if quality and operating conditions remain acceptable. If errors, damage, complaints, returns, or safety risks increase, the lower time should not be interpreted as a successful result.
Step 12. Document and control the improved method
Once the improved method has been tested, document how the task should now be performed so the improvement does not depend only on informal knowledge.
For the ecommerce example, the updated method could be:
- Review the paid order.
- Collect all required products using one route.
- Verify the items while packing when appropriate.
- Print the label at the packing station.
- Move the package to dispatch.
Then monitor whether the new method continues to perform as expected by reviewing time, errors, incomplete orders, rework, delivery performance, and relevant incidents.
Documenting the method is only part of the control system. Someone must also know who owns the work, what decisions they can make, and what needs to be escalated. If those boundaries are still unclear, use our guide to define employee roles and responsibilities so the improved method does not depend on assumptions about ownership.
How to calculate and interpret time study results
A time study can use several types of time measurements. They answer different questions and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Observed time
Observed time is the duration recorded directly during one observation.
If packing one order takes 5.2 minutes, then 5.2 minutes is the observed time for that activity in that cycle. One observation by itself does not describe the overall behavior of the task.
Average observed time
The average observed time is calculated by adding the valid observations and dividing the result by the number of valid observations.
Average observed time = Sum of valid observed times ÷ Number of valid observations
Suppose an activity takes:
- 5.2 minutes
- 4.8 minutes
- 5.5 minutes
- 4.9 minutes
- 5.1 minutes
The total is 25.5 minutes:
25.5 ÷ 5 = 5.1 minutes average observed time.
This means the activity took an average of 5.1 minutes under the conditions observed.
Normal time: an advanced concept
In more formal work-measurement studies, normal time may adjust observed time using a performance rating factor.
Normal Time = Average Observed Time × Performance Rating Factor
The rating factor should not become a casual opinion about whether someone appears fast or slow. Applying performance rating consistently requires a more formal work-measurement method and comparable working conditions.
For a first operational review in a small business, average observed time may be a more appropriate starting point if the study conditions are documented clearly.
The Excel template in this guide does not calculate performance ratings or Normal Time.
Standard time: another advanced concept
A formal standard time generally incorporates allowances for factors such as reasonable personal needs, fatigue, or unavoidable delays.
When an allowance is defined as a percentage of normal time, one common expression is:
Standard Time = Normal Time × (1 + Allowance)
For example, if Normal Time is 5.1 minutes and the allowance is 12% of Normal Time:
5.1 × 1.12 = 5.71 minutes.
However, allowance systems do not always use the same calculation base. In some work-measurement systems, the allowance is defined relative to total standard time instead. The formula and allowance method therefore need to be defined consistently before establishing a formal labor standard.
The downloadable workbook intentionally does not calculate formal Standard Time. It is designed for practical Before and After operational analysis rather than advanced industrial work measurement.
| Concept | What It Represents | Included in the Template? |
|---|---|---|
| Observed Time | Time recorded during one observation | Yes |
| Average Observed Time | Average of comparable observations | Yes |
| Normal Time | Observed time adjusted using a formal performance rating | No |
| Standard Time | Normal time adjusted using an established allowance system | No |
Your own Before and After measurements should be the first reference for improvement. If you later want to compare the process across locations, teams, periods, or other relevant reference points, our guide to benchmarking in business explains how to make those comparisons without treating every benchmark as a universal target.
Complete time and motion study example
The following example summarizes the complete analysis used throughout this guide.
Initial situation
- 45 orders prepared per day
- Average Before cycle time: 18.62 minutes
- Frequent delays
- Variation between similar cycles
- Orders accumulating near the end of the day
Problems identified
- High-turnover products located too far from the packing area
- Printer located at another workstation
- Duplicate manual recording
- Packing materials stored separately
- Several walking trips required to complete one order
Changes applied
- Products reorganized based on turnover
- A dedicated packing station created
- Duplicate manual recording removed
- Printer moved closer to the packing station
- A single picking route introduced
Results
| Indicator | Result |
|---|---|
| Before average cycle time | 18.62 minutes |
| After average cycle time | 12.36 minutes |
| Time saved per order | 6.26 minutes |
| Time reduction | 33.6% |
If the business prepares 45 comparable orders per day, the potential capacity released by the measured reduction is:
6.26 minutes × 45 orders = 281.7 minutes.
That is approximately 4 hours and 42 minutes of operational capacity per day under the example conditions.
This does not automatically mean the business should reduce staff. The released capacity could instead be used to:
- Ship orders earlier
- Process more orders
- Reduce overtime
- Improve quality checks
- Absorb demand peaks
- Allocate time to other necessary work
Also remember that this calculation assumes the measured reduction can be repeated across comparable orders. Actual daily capacity depends on demand, task mix, interruptions, staffing, and operating conditions.
Common time and motion study mistakes
Measuring only one cycle
One observation is a snapshot, not a pattern. It may contain an interruption, unusually simple task, system delay, or other condition that does not represent normal work.
Using the fastest observed time as the standard
The fastest cycle is not automatically a sustainable reference. It may represent unusually favorable conditions or a simpler-than-normal case.
Evaluating the person instead of the method
A practical time and motion study should first investigate the process, equipment, information, layout, and working conditions. Turning the exercise into employee surveillance can create resistance and distract attention from the real causes of delay.
Mixing tasks with different levels of complexity
Do not directly compare a simple one-item order with a large order requiring several products, additional validation, or special packaging unless those differences are intentionally part of the analysis.
Ignoring waiting and abnormal events
System failures, waiting, interruptions, and errors should be recorded because they may reveal important process problems. At the same time, they should not be silently mixed into a normal reference without context.
Ignoring quality and safety
A lower cycle time is not a successful improvement if it creates more errors, damaged products, customer complaints, returns, unsafe movement, or other negative consequences.
Setting a target before improving the method
First examine the way the task is performed. Then test improvements, measure the new method, and only after that decide whether the result can serve as a practical reference.
Confusing speed with productivity
Productivity is not simply doing something faster. The result must also consider quality, use of resources, reliability, and the operating outcome the task is intended to produce.
Failing to update the study
Times may change when the method, software, equipment, layout, product mix, staffing, or operating conditions change. A measurement should not remain a permanent reference after the underlying process has changed substantially.
Free Time and Motion Study Excel Template
You can use the free Excel template to define the study, record comparable Before and After cycles, identify causes of wasted time, and compare the results without building the workbook from scratch.
The workbook contains five sheets:
- 1_Instructions: workflow, editing rules, status messages, and limitations
- 2_Glossary: definitions for the terms used in the study
- 3_Study_Setup: scope, objective, task boundaries, activity list, and quality criteria
- 4_Observations: Before/After observations, cycle, activity, time, observed type, causes, quality, and proposed improvements
- 5_Results: average cycle time, complete cycles, quality issues, time reduction, average time by activity, improvement plan, and completion checks
The observation sheet also includes an automatic Row Check. It can identify missing information, invalid inputs, duplicate activities within a cycle, and incomplete cycles before those records are used to interpret the results.
The Results sheet includes a Study Status that can display:
| Status | What It Means |
|---|---|
| MISSING INFORMATION | Required study setup information is incomplete |
| REVIEW INPUTS | The setup or observation records contain invalid, duplicated, or incomplete data |
| NEED BEFORE DATA | No valid Before observations are available |
| NEED AFTER DATA | A baseline exists, but there are no valid After observations yet |
| LIMITED DATA | Both stages are present, but one has only one complete cycle |
| QUALITY REVIEW | The timing data are valid, but at least one observation failed the defined quality check |
| READY TO COMPARE | The built-in checks passed and both stages contain comparable complete cycles |
Important: READY TO COMPARE means the workbook passed its built-in data checks. It does not mean the measurements constitute a formal labor standard or that the sample size is statistically sufficient for every purpose.
The template is designed for practical operational analysis. It does not replace a formal work-measurement study, statistical sample-size analysis, advanced performance rating, ergonomic or safety assessment, or professional industrial-engineering judgment.
Frequently asked questions about time and motion studies
How many observations do you need for a time study?
There is no single number that is appropriate for every task. The amount of observation needed depends on task duration, variability, frequency, conditions, and the level of precision required. If observed times vary substantially, investigate the reasons and collect more comparable cycles.
The five Before and five After cycles used in this guide are an example for learning the method, not a universal sample-size rule.
Can you conduct a time and motion study without specialized equipment?
Yes. For an initial operational review, you can use a stopwatch or timer, a structured observation form, and a spreadsheet. The important part is to define the task consistently, observe comparable cycles, and document unusual conditions.
Are time and motion studies only used in manufacturing?
No. The method can also be applied to repeatable and observable work in ecommerce, retail, restaurants, warehouses, hotels, offices, and service businesses.
Should the fastest observed time become the standard?
No. The fastest time may represent unusually favorable conditions or a simpler case. Review multiple comparable cycles and consider method, quality, working conditions, and variation before establishing any operating reference.
Should you analyze time or motion first?
Start by understanding the method. Identify unnecessary travel, searching, waiting, duplication, and rework. After improving the method, measure again so the new reference represents a better way of performing the work rather than a faster version of an inefficient method.
Is cycle time the same as a time study?
No. Cycle time is a measurement of how long a defined task or process takes from its chosen start point to its end point. A time study goes further by collecting repeated observations and, when useful, examining how that total time is distributed across activities.
Does a time and motion study measure employee performance?
A time and motion study can provide information about how work is performed, but the approach in this guide is designed primarily to analyze the method and operating conditions, not to rank employees by speed.
Differences between employees can result from training, layout, tools, workload, task complexity, interruptions, or different ways of performing the same work. Those factors should be investigated before concluding that the person is the cause of the problem.
Improve the method before you set the target
A time and motion study is not about chasing seconds or asking people to work faster. Its real value is identifying where operational capacity is being lost and improving the method before turning a time measurement into a target.
Start with one repeatable task. Define its boundaries, observe several comparable cycles, identify where time is being consumed, improve the method, and measure again under similar conditions.
Then verify that the lower time has not created new errors, quality problems, or safety risks.
You can use the free Time and Motion Study Excel Template to document the complete Before and After analysis and keep the measurements, observations, and improvement actions in one workbook.
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