Productivity Factors in Measurement Technology

Productivity is an issue of compelling importance in the application of measurement technology. Increasingly difficult requirements associated with the high-volume measurement of ever greater groups of physical variables have resulted in measurement systems whose complexity and costs usually exceed that of the system measured. This paper treats productivity as a systems issue and identifies and discusses the productivity factors which are inherent in any organizational process. These factors are then related in a matrix format to specific issues in the application of testing and measurement (TM) technology, the goal being to identify generic performance-factor-issue intersects which can be understood, manipulated, and controlled to some extent to increase the degree of system goal achievement. A total systems approach is utilized to characterize the TM system design process and pinpoint eight major productivity-related concerns which should be considered during system design.