The Institute was formed in 1941 and is the principal body in the UK concerned with the promotion, practice and development of the range of methodologies and techniques for the improvement of productivity and quality, known collectively as ‘Management Services’. This embraces the disciplines of industrial engineering, work study, organisation and methods, systems analysis, and a wide range of management information and control techniques as illustrated in our body of knowledge. Though specific tools and techniques become fashionable and topical, the Institute is primarily concerned with establishing the need for a structured and disciplined approach to productivity measurement, analysis and improvement as illustrated in our Knowledge Bank.
The Institute is the qualifying body for the Management Services profession in the UK and worldwide. It acts as the ‘guardian’ of the body of knowledge relating to productivity improvement and as a forum for information exchange. Our members work under a variety of job titles across the whole of the UK economy and the wider world. Membership, and the associated professional development it brings, helps them make a more effective contribution to the performance and well-being of their own organisation and to the nation’s economy as a whole.
In addition to creating and upholding professional standards for the practice of management services through the adoption of a code of ethics and the provision of a system of qualifying examinations, the Institute of Management Services collaborates with national and international professional bodies in similar fields.
The Institute is a member of, or represented on, a number of other bodies including the World Confederation of Productivity Science, the European Federation of Productivity Services, the European Institute of Industrial Engineers.