This page is for anyone deciding how to set a new operation's standard time. Lessons 8.1.2 and 8.1.3 built every SMV from a stopwatch time study. A predetermined motion time system (PMTS) reaches the same kind of number, a basic time, a different way: from published time values for basic human motions, such as reach, grasp and move, added together for the exact motions an operation needs.
This matters most to a work-study specialist deciding, before an operation exists on the floor, how to time it. Delta Garments already timed sleeve attach directly for Order A, its export order. When Cedar & Co., producing the same T-shirt style domestically, adds a new operation to its own run, Delta Garments' work-study specialist considers PMTS instead of waiting for the operation to run on the floor first.
Without knowing PMTS exists, a factory assumes a stopwatch is the only way to set a standard time, and cannot cost or plan a new operation until it has already been sewn for a while. This lesson explains the other method, and when a factory reasonably chooses each one.
You need: lesson 8.1.2's idea of basic time, built from observed time and a rating.
By the end of this lesson you can:
Not covered here: how to audit an existing SMV table, built by either method, for errors before trusting it (lesson 8.1.5).
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Predetermined motion time system (PMTS) | A method that builds an operation's standard time from published time values for basic human motions (such as reach, grasp and move), instead of a stopwatch time study; MTM and MOST are two widely used named systems. |
| Time study | Directly timing a trained operator doing one operation, over several repeats, to build an accurate standard minute value for that operation. |
| Basic time | Observed time adjusted by the rating, giving the time a standard-pace operator would need for the same operation, before any allowance is added. |
| Standard minute value (SMV) | The standard time, in minutes, a trained operator needs to complete one operation on one piece, used to calculate a line's expected output and workload. |
| Rating | A work-study specialist's judgement of how the observed operator's pace compares to a defined standard pace, expressed as a percentage (100% is standard pace). |
A PMTS breaks an operation down into its basic human motions, such as reaching for a part, grasping it, moving it, and positioning it, and looks up each motion's own published standard time. Adding every motion's time together produces the operation's basic time directly, without observing anyone actually perform it. An allowance is still added afterward, the same as with a direct time study, to reach the SMV.
A person who has only ever used a stopwatch should not assume PMTS is a replacement for it everywhere. Each method suits different situations, and a factory can reasonably use both.
| What can differ | The shapes you meet | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| An operation that does not exist on the floor yet | A new style's operation cannot be timed with a stopwatch until it is actually being sewn; PMTS can build a basic time from the planned motions before that. | PMTS lets a factory cost or plan a new operation earlier than direct time study allows. |
| An operation already running, well understood | Sleeve attach, already timed directly for Order A, has a real, measured SMV; there is no need to rebuild it with PMTS. | Direct time study remains the natural choice once an operation is already running and measurable. |
| Export orders needing a defensible time before the line starts | An export buyer such as Northline Apparel may want a costed making charge before sewing begins; PMTS can supply a basic time for a new operation at this stage. | A PMTS-built time, clearly labelled, is defensible even though no stopwatch reading exists yet. |
| A domestic brand adding one new operation to an existing style | Cedar & Co., adding a new operation to its own domestic run of the same T-shirt style, can use PMTS for that one new operation while the rest of the table stays built from direct time study. | The two methods can sit side by side in the same SMV table, one row at a time, rather than requiring one method for the whole garment. |
Cedar & Co., producing the same T-shirt style domestically as Order A, plans to add one new operation to its own run: a small chest-pocket attach, not part of Order A's own five-operation breakdown. Since the operation does not exist on Delta Garments' floor yet, no stopwatch time study can be run on it. Delta Garments' work-study specialist considers building its basic time with PMTS instead, from the planned reach, grasp, position and release motions the operation will need.
| Fact | What it tells the work-study specialist |
|---|---|
| The new pocket-attach operation has never been sewn at Delta Garments | No observed time exists yet; a direct time study cannot happen before the operation runs |
| The operation's planned motions can be described in advance | PMTS can build a basic time from those motions without waiting |
| Order A's own five operations are already timed directly and measured | Nothing about those existing rows needs to change; PMTS applies only to the new row |
| Cedar & Co. needs a workable time before deciding how many operators the new run needs | A PMTS-built time, even before the operation runs, supports that planning decision |
Using PMTS for one new operation does not require rebuilding the rest of the table; the two methods coexist, each applied to the row it suits.
The worked numberThis example is illustrative, not a claimed fixed academy fact: no real MTM or MOST motion-time table is reproduced here, and no specific published motion values are asserted as academy fact. For teaching purposes, assume the pocket-attach operation's motions add to an illustrative basic time of about 0.58 minutes under PMTS, compared with sleeve attach's own directly measured SMV of 0.62 minutes from lesson 8.1.2.
A common mistake is treating a PMTS-built SMV as permanently correct because it came from a published, standardised source, and never comparing it against how the operation actually runs once it starts on the floor. A PMTS time assumes the planned motions are exactly what an operator will do; once the operation runs for real, a direct time study can confirm or correct that assumption. Skipping this check risks running an operation indefinitely on a time nobody has verified against the real floor.
There are two ways to find out how long an operation should take. One is to time an operator doing it, with a stopwatch, several times. The other is to add up published standard times for each small motion the operation needs, such as reaching, grasping and moving a part, without timing anyone at all. The second way works even before an operation exists on the floor, which the first way cannot do. Both ways still need a small extra time added afterward for rest and delay. Neither way should be trusted forever without ever checking it again once real work actually starts.
Sara, the buyer at Northline Apparel, is considering adding a small chest-pocket detail to a future export order using the same T-shirt style as Order A. Before committing, she asks Mona, the merchandiser, whether Delta Garments can quote a making charge for this new operation, even though it has never been sewn at the factory.
Sara's message reads:
Can Delta Garments give Sara a working estimate for the new operation's cost before it has ever been sewn on the floor.
Yes. Delta Garments can build a PMTS-based basic time for the new operation before it ever runs, giving Sara a working estimate without waiting for a stopwatch time study.
First, PMTS does not need the operation to exist yet. It builds a basic time from the planned motions the operation will need, which can be described before any sample is sewn.
Second, this estimate is not the final word. Once the operation actually runs, on Cedar & Co.'s domestic line or on Northline's own future order, a direct time study should confirm or correct the PMTS-built figure.
Mona should give Sara the PMTS-based estimate, clearly labelled as built from planned motions rather than direct measurement, and note that the figure will be checked against a real time study once the operation is actually sewn.
If Delta Garments refused any figure until a direct time study could be run, Northline Apparel's decision on the pocket detail would be delayed by however long a sample line takes to get running, often several weeks on a new feature. A clearly labelled PMTS estimate, at roughly 0.58 minutes basic time, lets Sara decide now, understanding the figure will be confirmed later.
An illustrative SMV for the new pocket-attach operation, if it carried the same 12% allowance as Order A's simpler operations, shown only to demonstrate the calculation, not as a claimed final figure.
Delaying a sourcing decision by several weeks while waiting for a stopwatch reading, when a clearly labelled estimate could have supported a provisional decision immediately, is a real cost in lost time, not a cost that not quoting anything avoids.
Open the SMV build-up calculator. For an operation built with PMTS rather than a stopwatch, enter its basic time directly (since no observed time or rating exists yet) and use the notes column to record that the figure came from PMTS, not direct measurement. Add the allowance the same way as any other row. Update the notes once a direct time study later confirms or corrects the figure.
1. What does a predetermined motion time system (PMTS) build an operation's basic time from?
2. Why might a factory use PMTS for a brand-new operation instead of waiting for a direct time study?
3. A factory has an operation that has been running smoothly on the floor for months, with a stable, well-understood method. Which approach best fits building its SMV?
| EN | AR | FR | TR | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predetermined motion time system (PMTS) | نظام أزمنة الحركة المحددة مسبقًا | Système de temps prédéterminés (PMTS) | Önceden belirlenmiş hareket zamanı sistemi (PMTS) | A method that builds an operation's standard time from published time values for basic human motions (such as reach, grasp and move), instead of a stopwatch time study; MTM and MOST are two widely used named systems. |
| Time study | دراسة الزمن | Étude de temps | Zaman etüdü | Directly timing a trained operator doing one operation, over several repeats, to build an accurate standard minute value for that operation. |
| Basic time | الزمن الأساسي | Temps de base | Temel süre | Observed time adjusted by the rating, giving the time a standard-pace operator would need for the same operation, before any allowance is added. |
| Standard minute value (SMV) | قيمة الدقيقة المعيارية (SMV) | Valeur minute standard (SMV) | Standart dakika değeri (SMV) | The standard time, in minutes, a trained operator needs to complete one operation on one piece, used to calculate a line's expected output and workload. |
| Rating | تقييم الأداء | Évaluation d'allure | Derecelendirme | A work-study specialist's judgement of how the observed operator's pace compares to a defined standard pace, expressed as a percentage (100% is standard pace). |
You now know a second way to reach an operation's standard time, without a stopwatch. The final lesson turns the two methods you have learned around, teaching you how to check an existing SMV table for errors before trusting it. Back to the course map