Learning Curves Learning Effect

The first time we perform a skilled job, it takes much longer to do than an experienced worker would take. But the next time we perform the same job, we can perform it faster and often with better quality (assuming the time interval has not been so large that we have forgotten how to do the job). Each additional time we do the job, we become faster and better at it, although the incremental gains are usually less each time as we become more skilled and experienced. This levels off when the person is skilled in that task and performs it at a level consistent with that defined in work study terminology. This improvement in productivity and quality of work as a job is repeated is called the learning effect. When designing jobs, establishing work standards, scheduling production and planning capacity, it is important to know at what rate worker productivity will increase through learning. For example, if it takes a worker 10 hours to make the first 50 units of a product, we do not want to plan on it taking 10 hours for every additional 50 units, otherwise, we will underestimate our true production capacity and overstaff our operations.

Rate Of Learning And Learning Curves

The labour content (in person-hours per unit) required to make a product, expressed as a function of the cumulative number of units made, is called a learning curve. As the cumulative number of units of the product made increases, the per unit labour requirement decreases but at a decreasing rate. The rate of learning is normally expressed in terms of how quickly the labour requirements decrease as we double the cumulative amount of output. The learning curve measures how the labour content or worker-hours per unit decreases as the cumulative number of units of product made increases. The first step in using learning curves is to collect historical data on the amount of labour required to make the first n units of the product. From these data, we can use curve-fitting procedures to derive a learning curve that describes the learning process and to estimate the learning rate. When drawn with normal axes, the shape of the learning curve is described as negative exponential, which has a constant rate of fall known as the learning curve factor. When the vertical and horizontal axes are drawn on logarithmic scales, the result is a straight line. A factor of 50% produces a steeper straight line than when the factor is 80%. [Logarithmic scales: the distance between 1 and 10 is the same as that between 10 and 100, which is the same as that between 100 and 1000.]

The steepness of the curve depends on the learning curve factor. A factor of 80% indicates that the time per unit falls to 80% of what it was, each time the quantity produced has doubled. This is not a very steep learning curve. A factor of 50% indicates that upon each doubling of the quantity produced, the time per unit is half what it was previously. This is a very steep curve and may suggest the work is very simple and/or that the person is a very good learner.

Boeing Formula
The Boeing formula states that as the cumulative production quantity doubles, the labour content per unit is reduced at a constant rate. For example, if an activity followed a 90 % learning curve and required 100 hours for the first unit, the second unit would take (0.9) (100) = 90 hours; the fourth unit (0.9) (90) = 81hours; and the eighth unit (0.9) (81) = 72.9 hours.
The Boeing formula is given by the relationship: TN = T1 NY,

and

Y = ln L / ln 2;
= unit of interest; = time required to produce unit 1; = time required to produce unit N; = learning rate; and = natural log.

where N T1 TN L ln

Most learning of tasks follows a learning rate of 88 92 %. This concept is helpful where repetitive work is done largely by human effort. Learning curves are not so applicable in the following areas: - assembly line activities where the whole line is paced to run at a certain speed; - lines mixing technology with humans (fixed speed with variable speed). Note: Highly routinized activities should eventually be converted to mechanized or robotic operations (constant pace).

Learning Rate 90% 80% 70%

Y= ln L / ln 2 Ln 0.9 / ln 2 = - 0.152 Ln 0.8 / ln 2 = - 0.322 Ln 0.7 / ln 2 = - 0.515

Factors Affecting Learning Rate

1 Cycle time As the cycle time increases, the rate of learning decreases as the person needs to

remember for a longer period.

2 Number of task elements As the number of task elements increases, the rate of learning decreases as the person

needs to remember many different chunks of work.

3 Prior training and experience Prior experience in similar tasks will sometimes result in faster times on the initial cycles and a faster learning rate. Disadvantage: If the new job requires the

person to respond in a different way from the previous jobs, he or she has to unlearn and relearn.
Other factors include: workers skills, work methods, tools and fixtures, materials and technology used, and process and product designs. In practice, there are plateaux where people do not seem to be able to make improvements despite still learning.

Inexperienced Workers
They look busier (more hand movements) and may exaggerate movements. Although they may appear to be struggling and working hard, this does not necessarily mean they are working productively. They require a high degree of visual feedback because they are not familiar with the job demands or the work station characteristics: they must see where their hands and feet are at all times while learning to respond to visual input; additional time is required for eye movements and focusing; hands and feet wait for the eyes to focus before moving, and actions tend to be sequential instead of simultaneous during the learning process.

In assembly lines:
the start-up may be slow for new products and processes even when the workforce is highly experience; off-line training helps to speed up transition to new products and processes, and helps new workers develop the required skills before they are placed on an operational line; relief or assistance may be provided for new workers as they learn new skills and become more productive.