PMD is a UK-based predetermined motion time system (PMTS) that allows accurate standard times to be calculated for a wide range of commercial and administrative tasks. The main component of the system is a library of standard times covering the different task elements. Some examples of these times are shown in the table below:
| Task Description | PMD Code |
|---|---|
| Open door walk 4 paces and close door | BD80 |
| Move cursor with mouse and double-click | KS23 |
| Place document in photocopier then remove | OP205 |
| Read and verify a word of 3-7 characters | RV16 |
In each case the two alphabetic characters are descriptive class codes. The figure that follows is the standard time in milli-minutes to complete that task element. By scaling these values to reflect frequency, volume and distance variables and then assembling them into appropriate sequences, standard times for any office job can be calculated. The system is currently maintained and promoted by the PMD forum of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport CILT(UK) a UK professional body covering: Active Travel & Travel Planning, Aviation, Bus & Coach, Freight Forwarding, Ports Maritime & Waterways, Rail, Supply Chain, and Transport Planning.
PMD is substantially derived from CMD which had originally been developed in the 1960s by British Railways using times published in Methods-Time Measurement. CMD has been used widely in the public and private sector, particularly in the UK. Between 1986 and 2011 CMD was maintained, developed and marketed by CMD Management Systems Limited, a UK-based not-for-profit company operated by users of the system. CWData Handler was an associated Microsoft Windows package that simplified the application of CMD. In 2011, CMD Management Systems merged with CILT(UK). Having obtained licences for Retail and Warehouse data systems to operate alongside the office data, it was decided to rename CMD as Process Management Data.
