Work sampling is the statistical technique to determine the proportion of time spent by workers in various defined categories of activity. It is as important as all other statistical techniques as it permits quick analysis, recognition, and enhancement of job responsibilities, tasks, performance competencies, and organizational work flows. A great number of observations are made of the workers over an extended period of time. For statistical accuracy, the observations must be taken at random times during the period of study, and the period must be representative of the types of activities performed by the subjects. One important usage of the work sampling technique is the determination of the standard time for a manual manufacturing task. Some general characteristics The study of work sampling has some general characteristics related to the work condition. One of them is the sufficient time available to perform the study. A work sampling study usually requires a substantial period of time to complete. There must be enough time available (several weeks or more) to conduct the study. The second characteristic is multiple workers. Work sampling is commonly used to study the activities of multiple workers rather than one worker. The third characteristic is long cycle time. The job covered in the study has relatively a long cycle time. The last one is the non-repetitive work cycles. The work is not highly repetitive. The jobs consist of various tasks rather than a single repetitive task. Starting to prepare a work sampling study • Define the manufacturing tasks for which the standard time is to be determined. • Define the task elements. These are the defined broken-down steps of the task that will be observed during the study. Since a worker is going to be observed, additional categories will likely be included as well, such as "idle", "waiting for work", and "absent". • Design the study. This includes designing the forms that will be used to record the observations, determining how many observations will be required, deciding on the number of days or shifts to be included in the study, scheduling the observations, and finally determining the number of observers needed. • Identify the observers who will do the sampling. • Start the study. All those who are affected by the study should be informed about it. • Make random visits to the plant and collect the observations. • Analyze and present the results. This is done by preparing a report that summarizes and analyzes all data and making recommendations when required.