WORK MEASUREMENT IN PUBLIC SERVICE MANAGEMENT – A REVIEW OF AUSTRALIAN AND OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENTS

The theme of the 1979 Annual Conference, "Managing with Less", reflects prevailing opinion that the rate of growth of public sector resources will continue to be restrained for the foreseeable future, and that tough times are still ahead for public sector managers. This paper explores the developments in one management tool for coping with less – work measurement (WM). The paper is one outcome of a 3-months study, undertaken within the Auditor-General's Office in early 1979, of the state of the art of WM in public service environments.