A time and motion study is a structured observation method that records task duration and work sequence to show how time is distributed within a process. In Lean Six Sigma, it supports decisions about specific workflows, such as nursing documentation or medication preparation.
Study design starts with the operational question. A nursing team investigating delayed observations needs agreed activity categories and rules for coding interruptions. When patient education occurs during another care activity, the primary time budget needs a rule that prevents counting the same elapsed minute twice. Two observers can code a shared observation period to identify inconsistent definitions before wider data collection.
Consider a hypothetical pilot in which documentation falls from 12 to 9 minutes per observed nurse-hour. That represents a 25% reduction in documentation time and releases 3 minutes, or 5% of the observed hour. Whether those minutes reach patient care requires a separate measure. Comparable shift coverage and patient workload help the team interpret differences between baseline and pilot observations.
Within DMAIC, time and motion studies provide baseline evidence during Measure and support testing during Improve. Value Stream Mapping places the observed tasks within the wider flow, while Pareto charts can rank clinically reviewed, addressable causes by accumulated minutes. Standard Work documents the agreed task sequence after a change. A Control Plan assigns ownership of ongoing measures, including whether scheduled care is completed within the approved window.
