Paul Wakeford

What is TDX Analysis?

Click above for a clearer view

TDX Analysis is a complete package of analysis tools to complement the handheld Timedex (introduced on 2002) and the slightly later Activity Sampling Programs.

The lack of decent analysis was always a problem. We had originally relied on users converting the text file output to Excel or 123 format. We also produced an Excel (macro driven) based system but it was slow and flakey. So, you either had to be a "techie" or very determined to use the system. A few doughty souls persevered but as such it would not suit team project situations.

Anyway, a few months ago, while things were quiet during the 2008/9 recession I put my time and brain power to getting something together to properly analyse the Timedex (TDX) family.

What is available now is definitely a project strength data collection and analysis system.

I cannot promise the analysis product to be fault free as only sustained use by different users (not just a couple of testers) will uncover any problems but over the past development months they have been project tested and some colleagues have also provided critical help. You can always try it!

Nonetheless, the product is project ready and will give you fast and accurate results from many thousands of stacked observations.

What do you get?

Please note that the help pages are still in progress. Much of the program is covered but some links remain to covered/checked. Completion some time during September is expected. Meantime the learn pages on the site may assist or simply call me...

Now Download it...

The system has been built from the bottom up with the lessons of the macro driven forerunner firmly learned. You get the following modules:

• The Control Bar
• Time Study Analysis & Results
• Time Study Process Book
• Activity Sampling Analysis
• Activity Sampling Process Book
• Time Study Stacker & Results

They all build towards a complete 21st Century package for teams to use decent equipment to collect and pool their data providing their companies or clients with coherent data, obtained without huge hardware costs for outdated systems

Features for the fastest analysis and editing

Learn Analysis

Conformity: TDX Analysis works to all the expected Windows conventions on operation; for instance, Alt-F4 exits you from a program and Ctrl-X is for cut (as in cut and paste). Great care is taken on this as people expect commonality of control and interface. General navigation between modules and through documents is to standard conventions.

As far as the general interface is concerned, the current version uses MDI (multiple document interface) and so you will get separate windows for the functions. This will change in the next major version so that there will be a single window with the functions operating within that window.

As far as being able to maximise windows, this has been restricted due to development time and doing the same across all modules. The other point is that you wouldn't see any more data so it isn't strictly necessary.

Simple Control Bar

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Main Analysis with Study Loaded

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Tap the image below to get a clearer view.

A short study with 2 excluded elements and one unresolved resume - total times are to the right.

Visual Access to Notes

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Different ways at getting at and viewing your notes. The ticked check box indicates a note in available to look at - double clicking the box reveals the note.

Instant Statistics

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To give you an indication whether your study contains statistically sound data you can ascertain how your study work is going and how many more studies will be needed to complete the current set of work in the current project.

By selecting the menu option whilst on a selected element the dialog below will pop up. We have taken the observed time as a basis for the calculation rather than the smoothed standard time - because the data will be random and as collected it will give a less biased view of the data.

The result box is shown below.

Export to CSV

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Besides the usual save, there is a direct to csv for Excel etc. Complete openness as far as data is concerned - no oblique database file formats here. Indeed future export developments include SQL/XML data.

Crash Resistant

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Exclude not Delete

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You can view exclusions at any time and keep track of them in by checking their count on the status bar.

You can exclude observations at any time; particularly useful is the ability to look for flyers with statistical tool, and then if justified, exclude them.

Remember the data remains for examination and wrongly excluded items are retrievable in seconds. Your company, client and employees representatives may need validation of some or all of your results and conclusions.

Category (Area) Edit

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Flexible Editing Options

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Even though the study record is as close as we can get to a conventional study look there are ways at getting deeper at the data to better understand, comment, and edit your work.

The Observation Edit, Tools and View menus all give you different ways to get at and look at your data by isolating elements, categories and your data and so on.

Editing Observations

You are advised that you have local access the the Process Book job file.

You can copy and paste from either the loaded Element List (list of the elements actually used), from the more comprehensive job file or, you can simply copy and past between observations.

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When you load a study, you will be told if the job/process file exists. This helps where you need to change element numbers by copying and pasting from the source job file. If you need a new element, if you have the job file open you can add the element directly so you and others can use it.

Getting Good Results

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Getting Good Reports

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Stack of Accurate Data

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Stacks and Stacks the very best visible data

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