| 1. |
- Berglund, Martina, et al.
(författare)
-
Assessment of production planning and scheduling work using ergonomic work analysis
- 2000
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 14th Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association. - 0945289138 ; , s. 2:231-234
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Production scheduling is an important and complex activity in manufacturing enterprises. Increasing market demands concerning service has to be managed, offen within reduced time space and decision latitude. This paper reports findings from studying scheduling in a Swedish sawmill with the twofold aim to describe and analyze scheduling work and to assess ergonomic work analysis as a method for this. The conclusions drawn were that sawmill scheduling work was complex and that the scheduler was exposed to a high degree of uncertainty. The scheduling in practice was performed by a group of people, relating to different parts of the entire business processes in the company. The scheduling tools, developed by the individual schedulers, were efftcient and flexible complements to the MPCsystem. Finally, ergonomic work analysis proved to be a useful method for analyzing scheduling work, although there may be difficulties in distinguishing between the prescribed work and work as it is actually carried out.
|
|
| 2. |
- Berglund, Martina, et al.
(författare)
-
Investigating Scheduling Work Practice with Activity Analysis
- 2002
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 34th Annual Congress of the Nordic Ergonomics Society. - 9173734446
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Understanding practice of planning and scheduling is of interest as skill and performance of production schedulers have been identified as important for a company to achieve high productivity and flexibility. However, practice is not easily studied. The objective of this paper is to describe and assess the use of activity analysis as a method for studying the practice of production scheduling. Work activities of schedulers in four wood-working companies were investigated with activity analysis, which is based on analyses of work activities carried out in real work situations. Data collection included interviews with the schedulers and other employees concerning the scheduling task and the work context. Thereafter, each scheduler’s work was observed during five entire days. In the analyses, the observed work activities were described and categorized including time and spatial distribution, own initiatives to activities, interruptions, and relationships with others. Activity analysis was found to be a useful method for analyzing scheduling work. It provided rich data of the work content, sub-tasks, aids used etc, which could be used as an instrument to grasp cognitive aspects of work. Furthermore, activity analysis was easily applicable.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Berglund, Martina, et al.
(författare)
-
Schedulers reality expectations and dependencies
- 2001
-
Ingår i: In Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Production Research, July 29-August 3, Prague, Czech Republic.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)
|
|
| 5. |
- Karltun, Johan
(författare)
-
Change processes and ergonomic improvements in small and medium enterprises
- 2004
-
Ingår i: Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing. - : Wiley. - 1090-8471 .- 1520-6564. ; 14:2, s. 135-155
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article deals with the question of how change processes can create ergonomic improvements in small- and medium-sized industrial enterprises. Drawing on experiences from two described and analyzed case studies in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and from ISO 9000 implementation processes previously studied, a hypothetical change framework is suggested through a theory generating approach. It separates change into action-driven change, which is an active experiential improvement process, and into vision-driven change, which is of a visionary design character. The ability to bring about problem solving into action was important for the success of the change processes. Furthermore, the nature of different hampering mechanisms concerning ergonomic improvements is discussed.
|
|
| 6. |
- Karltun, Johan
(författare)
-
Change processes and ergonomics improvements in SMEs
- 2004
-
Ingår i: Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing. - : Wiley. - 1090-8471 .- 1520-6564. ; 14:2, s. 135-155
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article deals with the question of how change processes can create ergonomic improvements in small- and medium-sized industrial enterprises. Drawing on experiences from two described and analyzed case studies in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and from ISO 9000 implementation processes previously studied, a hypothetical change framework is suggested through a theory generating approach. It separates change into action-driven change, which is an active experiential improvement process, and into vision-driven change, which is of a visionary design character. The ability to bring about problem solving into action was important for the success of the change processes. Furthermore, the nature of different hampering mechanisms concerning ergonomic improvements is discussed.
|
|
| 7. |
- Karltun, Johan, et al.
(författare)
-
Experts versus participants
- 2000
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 14th Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association. - 0945289138 ; , s. 2:197-200
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Participation has been of great interest in organizational development as well as in the field of ergonomics and total quality management (TQM) for many years. However, many aspects of participation are still not well understood. The aim of this paper is to contribute towards a better understanding of the expert versus the participant in change and how these relate to each other. The conclusions drawn are that the expert and the participant build their legitimacy in change on different knowledge and political bases. The expert participates in change on his professional basis, representing an outside perspective, mutually related to management and not personally affected by the change. The participant bases his participation on an extensive knowledge of the workplace, delegated power, subordinate position towards management and he represents an inside perspective as he is personally affected by the change.
|
|
| 8. |
- Karltun, Johan, et al.
(författare)
-
Production Scheduling in Practice – A Study of Managing Goal Conflicts
- 2001
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of European Operation Management Association. - 8791200024 ; , s. 1:757-768
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Schedulers are expected to make a schedule for and release production orders. However, in an alternative perspective, the schedulers’ activities could rather be described as co-ordinating the demands of the customers, as interpreted by the sales departments, with the possibilities and limitations of the existing production systems. The aim with this paper is to describe how four studied schedulers coped with this task and the different means they used to manage the conflicting logic between production and sales. The schedulers were studied using activity analysis comprising initial descriptions of their work and its context, subsequent observations of actual work activities during one week for each scheduler as well as follow-up interviews.The results show that the competing logics of sales and production were apparent at the operative every day level and must be coped with. Schedulers developed a variety of different means to reach acceptable compromises for both production and sales departments. Beside the main technical instrument for coordinating purposes, the business software, the studied schedulers used social skills, judgements, bargaining, and information collection and manipulations as important means to maintain a schedule in a complex and varying context. Conclusions are that schedulers use a variety of tools, especially human capabilities for coping with their task. Based on this finding, it can be questioned whether scheduling may be efficiently performed without a large portion of human work.
|
|
| 9. |
- Karltun, Johan, et al.
(författare)
-
Schedulers’ work activities and decision making influencing working conditions of other employees
- 2002
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 34th Annual Congress of the Nordic Ergonomics Society. - 9173734446 ; , s. 435-440
-
Konferensbidrag (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- The coordination character of production scheduling gives schedulers strong links to other people in the organization such as production management and sales- and marketing personnel. Schedulers and the way scheduling is performed may thus have a direct influence on the working conditions for a large number of employees. The objective of this paper is therefore to investigate the links between how schedulers perform their work and the working conditions of other employees. Activity analysis, including observations and interviews was used to study schedulers’ influence in four woodworking companies. The results showed that the most important factor for other employees was the feasibility of the schedule related to their own tasks. Schedulers were to a large extent expected to know the certain and sometimes temporal difficulties related to each departments’ technology and manning, and to consider those when making the schedule. By doing so the scheduler indirectly influenced the workload and the capacity of the whole system. Furthermore, the employees perceived that they were able to influence the schedule when they were in difficulties. The main conclusion is that the schedulers’ roles as system facilitators dominate their influence on the working conditions in the companies studied.
|
|
