It was a class on Work Study as part of our junior manager ‘s course way back in 1974 . Our instructor was explaining the art of inquiry to find and weed out wasteful or irrelevant practices . An example he gave was really very hilarious and conveyed the real meaning of the concept .
The story goes like this – In the mountains , we use a gun -howitzer to clear crusts and engage enemy targets through indirect fire . These guns are carried on mule back as in many forward posts , roads do not exist . When India designed and manufactured its first gun – howitzer , it was designed to operate in plains as well in a towed configuration .
Following this development , there was a review of the Army’s Standing Establishment with a view to effect cost reductions . Each soldier’s role in battle was examined in detail to assess the actual need . The committee visited an artillery regiment equipped with the indigenous gun and watched a gun drill in progress . In a regiment , the gun crew brings the gun from traveling position to firing position and vice versa . The committee could understand the role of each crew member like a commander , loader, firer , driver etc but failed to comprehend the role of one member who just took a funny posture while bringing the gun to firing position . This person just sat on his knees near the gun and just shouted ” HAA ” before the gun fired the shell .
On detailed questioning , it was found that this person used to pacify the mule in the earlier version of the howitzer when it was taken on mules back duly dismantled into comfortable mule loads and when assembled for firing , the mule was around and needed to be pacified when the gun was fired !!. The towed version was introduced but the gun crew member to look after the non existent mule continued in the establishment .
A good work study problem solved by observation and questioning .!!.