NCJ Number
44167
Date Published
1978
Length
68 pages
Annotation
TECHNIQUES INCLUDING PRINCIPLES OF OPERATIONS ANALYSIS, WORK MEASUREMENT, AND FACILITIES PLANNING WHICH HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY APPLIED BOTH IN INDUSTRY AND IN OTHER AREAS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
WORK MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES SUCH AS WORK SAMPLING AND THE USE OF STANDARD DATA CAN PROVIDE THE NECESSARY LABOR STANDARDS FOR UNDERSTANDING COURT EFFICIENCY AND IMPROVING THE ABILITY OF THE COURT ADMINISTRATOR AND SUPERVISORS TO SCHEDULE AND PLAN WORK. THE PRINCIPLES OF OPERATIONS ANALYSIS AND MOTION ECONOMY THAT ARE PRESENTED MAY BE APPLIED BY ALL PERSONNEL IN THE COURTS AND DO NOT REQUIRE EXTENSIVE TECHNICAL TRAINING. ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES WHICH MAY BE USED BY THE COURT ADMINISTRATOR INCLUDE SYSTEMS ANALYSIS, THE APPLICATION OF THEORIES FROM THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, AND COMPUTER AUTOMATION. IT IS NOTED THAT THE INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING APPROACH CAN SOLVE MANY PROBLEMS OF EFFICIENCY IN THE COURTS THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF BASIC PRINCIPLES OF WORK SIMPLIFICATION AND METHODS IMPROVEMENT. MANY METHOD CHANGES CAN BE IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT THE PURCHASE OF EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT, MAJOR REARRANGEMENT OF FACILITIES, OR THE USE OF COMPUTERS. THE REPORT RECOMMENDS THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LABOR PRODUCTIVITY REPORTING SYSTEMS BE CAREFULLY ANALYZED IN TERMS OF COST AND NEED. WITH REGARD TO PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT, IT IS CRITICAL TO HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIFFERENT PERFORMANCE MEASURES, SUCH AS LABOR EFFICIENCY, LABOR PRODUCTIVITY INDICES, AND UNIT COSTS. WHILE ALL ARE USEFUL IN IMPROVING COURT PRODUCTIVITY, THESE MEASURES SERVE DIFFERENT NEEDS AND REQUIRE DIFFERENT DATA. THE NEED FOR SUFFICIENT RESOURCES FOR SEEING PROJECTS THROUGH IS EMPHASIZED. THIS INCLUDES ANTICIPATING COSTS OF IMPLEMENTATION AND TRAINING OF PERSONNEL, IMPLEMENTING REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS, AND MAINTAINING SYSTEMS. A GLOSSARY AND REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).