Consider the four steps in a time study. If an analyst were to make a mistake, during which step would the impact on the standard time be the greatest? Explain your reasoning

What will be an ideal response?

The four steps are selecting work elements, timing the elements, determining the sample size, and setting the standard. Answers will vary as to the step that has the greatest impact on the standard time determination. If the work elements are not selected properly, then the analyst may include too many process steps, thereby inflating the standard time or too few, which would result in a standard time that is too low. A stopwatch error can also be too high or too low and might have the same impact. If the task is a 40-yard dash and the organization is an NFL team, those consequences can be disastrous. A sample size that is too small might result in some measurement error that could fall either way, but a sample that is too large would simply result in more time and effort expended collecting data than necessary. This large sample would yield a more accurate estimate than is absolutely necessary. Setting the standard improperly can again overestimate or underestimate the true standard time depending on the nature of the mathematical error.