Breakdown & Proposal Sheets
The four-step method needs two pieces of paper to run on — one to see the present method whole, and one to keep the improvement from dying before it is used.
Job Methods runs on two sheets. The first is the Job Methods Analysis Sheet, which carries the whole method on one page — every work element of how the job is done now, the questioning, the ideas, and what to do about each. The second is the Proposal Sheet, which writes the improvement up so it does not die before it is put to work. This section shows what each one is, how it is filled in, and — most usefully — how the breakdown you make to improve a method differs from the one you make to teach a job.
By the end of this section, you should understand:
- what a "detail" is, and why a Job Methods breakdown lists every one of them;
- what each column on the Job Methods Analysis Sheet does — work elements, key points, the six questions, ideas, and ECRS — and how to make the breakdown on the job rather than from memory;
- why a Job Instruction breakdown lists only important steps while a Job Methods breakdown lists all details;
- what goes on the Proposal Sheet, and in what order;
- and why writing the improvement up — and naming who deserves credit — is part of getting it used.
1The Job Methods Analysis Sheet
A job breakdown is the starting point for every Job Methods improvement. Before you can question a method, you have to see it whole — and you cannot hold a whole method in your head. The working tool that captures it is the Job Methods Analysis Sheet: a single page that carries the entire four-step method across the row. You break the job into work elements, note the key points, question every detail, record the ideas that result, and mark what to do about each.
A detail is every single thing that is done — every motion, every inspection, every delay.
That definition is deliberately wide. A detail is not a logical "step" of the operation; it is the smallest unit of doing. Walking to a box is a detail. Picking up a handful of sheets is a detail. Inspecting them is a detail. Waiting is a detail. You list every one of them, in the order they happen, down the Work Elements column — and the little time spent listing them often uncovers big improvements, because most of any job is so familiar that we have stopped seeing it.
What makes the sheet more than a list is that the rest of the method runs across each row. For every work element you can flag its key points — safety, distance, dimension, quality, and ease — then question it with the six questions (Why? What? Where? When? Who? How?), jot any improvement in the Ideas column, and mark the develop action in the last four columns: E · C · R · S — eliminate, combine, rearrange, simplify. The whole of Section 3 — the questioning and the ECRS analysis — happens on this one sheet.
| No. | Work elements | Key points | Question every detail | Ideas | Develop | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety | Distance | Dimension | Quality | Ease | Why | What | Where | When | Who | How | E | C | R | S | |||
| 1 | Walk to box of copper sheets | 6 ft | ✓ | Deliver sheets to the bench | ✓ | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Pick up 15–20 sheets | ✓ | Use a jig to hold the sheets | ✓ | |||||||||||||
Develop: E eliminate · C combine · R rearrange · S simplify. Key points: safety, distance, dimension, quality, ease.
The actual Job Methods worksheet. Each work element runs across one row: flag its key points, question it with the six questions, record any idea in the Ideas column, and mark the develop action — eliminate, combine, rearrange, or simplify. The first two rows show the shield job in use.
What to notice: the whole method lives on one sheet. The six question columns and the four develop columns are the same 5W1H and ECRS from Section 3 — the sheet simply gives each its own column, so questioning a detail and deciding what to do about it sit side by side.
The Ideas column is the heart of the sheet in use. As you question each detail, ideas come quickly — but you do not act on them yet. You hold each one by writing it in the Ideas column and keep questioning, because a better and more complete idea usually develops once the whole job has been worked through. On the shield job, questioning why you walk to the supply box yields the idea "deliver the sheets to the bench," recorded in the Ideas column and later marked to eliminate. The key-point columns — safety, distance, dimension, quality, ease — are where the clues go: a distance walked, a tolerance, a scrap figure, a safety reminder.
Make the breakdown on the job, not from memory. The job in your head is tidier than the job on the floor, and a breakdown built from memory leaves out exactly the walking, waiting, and double-handling that the improvement should remove. Watch the actual job and write down what actually happens.
And let the operator help. Tell them what you are doing and why: show them the sheet, let them help you fill it in, tell them about the meetings, show them the card. Be frank and open. The person doing the job knows it better than anyone, and an interested operator is as valuable as the improvement itself.
2How it differs from a Job Instruction breakdown
Both Job Instruction and Job Methods begin by breaking a job down, and both write it on a sheet with a heading block and columns. They are not the same breakdown, and using the wrong one is a real mistake.
The difference comes entirely from the purpose.
- In Job Instruction you are getting ready to teach. A breakdown there lists only the important steps — the logical segments that advance the work — plus the key points within them. Many small motions are obvious and need not be listed, because a learner can be trusted to reach for the tool or pick up the part without being told. One important step may contain several details.
- In Job Methods you are getting ready to improve the method. A breakdown there lists all the details — every motion, inspection, and delay — because nothing should be omitted when you are studying how the work is done. The "obvious" details a teacher would skip are exactly the ones an improver must see, because the obvious walking and double-handling is usually where the waste hides.
| Job Instruction breakdown | Job Methods breakdown | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | To teach the job to a worker. | To study and improve the method. |
| What it lists | Important steps only — the segments that advance the work — plus key points. | Every single detail — every motion, every inspection, every delay. |
| The obvious motions | Skipped — a learner can be trusted to reach and pick up without being told. | Kept — the obvious walking and handling is usually where the waste hides. |
| Length | Short by design; one step may contain several details. | Long by design; nothing is omitted. |
The same job, broken down two ways. A Job Instruction breakdown lists only the important steps because you are teaching; a Job Methods breakdown lists every single detail because you are studying the method.
What to notice: the Job Instruction column is short by design — it omits the obvious. The Job Methods column is long by design — it omits nothing. Neither is "more correct"; each fits its job. A breakdown made for teaching will quietly hide the waste you are trying to find.
Reusing a Job Instruction breakdown to look for improvements. It lists the important steps and skips the obvious motions — so the walking, reaching, waiting, and double-handling, which is where the improvement usually lives, never makes it onto the sheet. When you set out to improve a method, build a fresh breakdown that lists every detail.
3The Proposal Sheet
Too many good improvements die before they are put into practice — or even put down on paper. A method worked out in your head and demonstrated once at a bench is not yet an improvement; it is an idea that will fade. The Proposal Sheet is how you keep it alive: a short, complete, written summary of the new method that you can hand to the boss.
A written proposal is a complete summary of the proposed improvement — what the new method will do, and how it can be done.
The write-up does three jobs. It sells the improvement to the boss with facts on paper rather than talk. It is what gets final approval on safety, quality, quantity, and cost. And it lets a practical improvement be passed on and used by others elsewhere in the plant.
There is an order to it, and the order matters.
| Improved use of manpower, machines & material 3× shields per operator · +50% per machine · scrap 15% → 2%. Better quality and safety; tidier bench. |
| What the new method does — and how Supply boxes moved onto the bench; jigs hold and locate the sheets; a riveting fixture positions two riveters; scrap slots cut in the bench; cases packed at the bench. Eliminates the walking, laying-out, carrying, and weighing. |
| Attached Present-method breakdown · proposed-method breakdown · sketches · sample shield. |
| Credit to B. Brown (foreman) and the operator who helped develop the method. |
The Proposal Sheet for the shield-job improvement. It leads with the improved use of manpower, machines, and material; states exactly what the new method does and how it can be done; lists the attachments; and names who deserves credit.
What to notice: the results come first, not the method. A boss reading a proposal wants to know what the improvement buys — more product per person, more per machine, less scrap — before reading how it is done. Lead with the gain.
What goes on the sheet, in order:
- A heading. Name the job, the area, the date, and who made the proposal — the same identifying block as the breakdown.
- Improved use of manpower, machines, and material. List these first. State the gains plainly — more product per operator, more per machine, less scrap — and include improvements in quality, design, safety, and housekeeping as well.
- What the new method does and how it can be done. Tell exactly what will be accomplished and exactly how to do it. This is the method itself, stated so that someone else could put it to work.
- Attachments. Attach the present and proposed breakdown sheets, sketches, and samples. The two breakdowns side by side tell the improvement story better than any description.
- Credit. Show the names of everyone who deserves credit. One stolen idea will stop all others; the more credit you give, the more ideas come back.
There is a checklist of questions on the back of the proposal sheet. Use it to test whether the improvement is complete — it will catch gaps, sometimes suggest new ideas, and at the least it makes you think the job through once more before you turn the proposal in.
Section summary
Job Methods runs on two sheets. The Job Methods Analysis Sheet carries the whole method on one page: every work element of the present method — every motion, inspection, and delay — with columns to flag the key points (safety, distance, dimension, quality, ease), to question each detail (the six questions), to record ideas as they occur, and to mark the develop action (eliminate, combine, rearrange, simplify). Make it on the job, not from memory, and let the operator help. It differs from a Job Instruction breakdown in one decisive way: Job Instruction lists only the important steps because you are teaching and obvious steps can be skipped, while Job Methods lists all the details because you are studying the method and nothing should be omitted.
The Proposal Sheet then keeps the improvement from dying. It leads with the improved use of manpower, machines, and material — plus quality, safety, and housekeeping — says exactly what the new method does and how it can be done, attaches the present and proposed breakdowns, sketches, and samples, and names everyone who deserves credit. A checklist on the back tests it for completeness.
The next section takes these two sheets into action: how to develop the improvement using the simplify principles, and how to sell it, get approvals, put it to work, and give credit.