Time study software records how long each work element takes, live on a tablet or from video, and turns those times into standard times and balanced lines. It replaces the stopwatch and clipboard with data you can replay, rate and compare with takt time.
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3D discrete-event simulation
3D simulation software for modeling production lines, buffers and material flow to test layouts and lean changes.
Video process analysis
Modular video-analysis suite for method study, line balancing, SMED and ergonomics, with a shop-floor instruction viewer.
Video time study
Video-based time and motion study software that produces Yamazumi charts, line balances, standard work and SMED analyses.
Time study & work sampling
Canadian work-measurement software for stopwatch and video time studies, work sampling and waste identification on PC and mobile.
The basics
Time study software records how long each element of a job takes, often from video. It turns those times into standard times, yamazumi charts and line balance proposals.
The usual comparison is cycle time against takt time, the pace of customer demand. The takt time calculator works out takt and the operators needed.
Results feed standard work and SMED studies, where each changeover step is timed and sorted.
A stopwatch, a time observation sheet and a spreadsheet are the classic tools. They work well for a few stations and teach the team to see the work.
Software helps when you study many jobs, want video to review with operators, or need to rebalance a line often as demand changes.
The routine it supports
How the listed tools are priced
A time study measures how long each element of a job takes. A motion study looks at how the work is done: reaching, walking, searching and handling. Time and motion study software usually supports both, so you can see where time goes and why.
Many tools let you tag each element as value-adding, necessary but not value-adding, or waste. That ties the study to the eight wastes, so it points to improvements as well as a standard time.
For walking and handling, a spaghetti diagram drawn during the study often shows the problem faster than the numbers do.
A stopwatch study is quick and needs no equipment beyond a timer and a sheet. It works well for short checks, but you see each cycle once and must split elements in real time.
A video time study lets you replay cycles, set element break points precisely and review the footage with the operator. It also makes it easier to compare operators, shifts or methods side by side.
Explain the purpose before you film anyone, agree who can see the footage and how long it is kept. Studies go better when operators help pick the elements and suggest improvements.
Pick a job whose method is stable, then break it into elements with clear start and end points. Record enough cycles to see the normal variation, and note anything unusual, such as a missing part.
Apply a performance rating if your method uses one, then add allowances for personal needs, fatigue and unavoidable delays to get the standard time. Keep notes on how you rated and which allowances you used.
Compare the results with takt time, using the takt time calculator if you need it. Then update standard work and re-time the job after each change.
Buying guide
Who it's for: Industrial engineers, production planners and lean teams designing or rebalancing assembly lines and cells.
Fast time capture
Element-by-element timing on a tablet or from video, with ratings and allowances.
Takt time comparison
Each station's work content compared with takt time in a clear yamazumi chart.
What-if rebalancing
Drag work elements between stations and see the effect immediately.
Standard work output
Results that flow into standard work sheets and work instructions.
Before you choose
FAQ
Sources
Written by the lean-stack editors following our methodology. Updated October 3, 2026.
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