Abstract: The workforce design method and tool provide answers to basic logistical human resources questions such as how many people need to be staffed, what kinds of qualifications are needed, when is the staffing needed, and how efficiently are employees being utilized. The methodology and tool apply to direct labor, indirect labor and resource allocations. The methodology and tool provide previously unseen levels of staffing granularity and output period forecasting. Staffing requirements can be ascertained at any level of organizational granularity. The methodology and tool can also show staffing demands in different work areas and departments enabling the dynamic staffing of the right number of people, at the right time, with the right qualifications, in the right work areas and job families for efficient allocation. This is a bottom up approach to staffing where headcounts are determined at any desired level of organizational granularity.

Abstract: A standard time system provides a methodology and structure to calculate standard times for both manufacturing tasks and support tasks, based on task specific formulas, recursive algorithms for breaking down tasks into any granularity of actions and steps, routing structures for defining standard routing and alternative routing, and a linking matrix to link all related attributes such that a change in one variable value and/or calculated standard time is propagated through the entire manufacturing process. Access to the standard time system is provided by a visualization tool, which includes a graphical user interface (GUI). The visualization tool provides the user a visual representation of the full manufacturing process and the means for defining, recording and maintaining the related data and structure. Individual tasks are defined for the manufacturing of each product, and standard times are attributed to each defined task by formula based calculations.