In industrial engineering and operations management, how is productivity most appropriately defined for a workforce or process?

Introduction / Context:
Productivity is a fundamental performance metric that relates outputs to the inputs required to produce them. This question distinguishes true productivity from raw production counts or cost metrics.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We consider labour productivity in a manufacturing or service context.
• Inputs are measured in labour time (man-hours), outputs in units of finished goods or services.
• No specific currency or product type is assumed.

Concept / Approach:

Productivity = Output / Input. For labour productivity, the input is labour time. Therefore, output per man-hour directly measures how efficiently labour time converts into deliverables. By contrast, production count per day ignores input magnitude; cost ratios measure economics, not physical productivity.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

If Team A makes 100 units with 50 man-hours (2 units/hour) and Team B makes 120 units with 80 man-hours (1.5 units/hour), productivity shows Team A is more efficient even though Team B made more items.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Option a is throughput; options c and d are cost metrics; none correctly capture labour productivity.

Common Pitfalls:

Confusing productivity with utilization or with profit margins, and forgetting to normalize output by an input resource such as hours, capital, or energy.

Final Answer:

Output per man-hour of labour