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Research

Current projects being undertaken by researchers at the Centre for Cognitive Work and Safety Analysis include:

Selecting Measures of Performance and Effectiveness

This research centres on the use of Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) as a means to select measures of performance and effectiveness that can be used to identify where system improvements (human, hardware or software) may lie. The research concentrates on CWA because of its potential for the design and evaluation of first-of-a-kind systems. A series of experiments are being performed that aim to compare the measures, selected using CWA and traditional reductionist techniques, in terms of their usefulness (cost-benefit) to stakeholder groups. The research is being undertaken by David Crone as a part time PhD with the Department of Psychology at the University of Queensland (UQ), supervised by Professor Penny Sanderson at UQ and Dr Neelam Naikar of DSTO. The research was originally part of a joint Australia - United States program that aimed to develop future Electronic Warfare systems. Dr Simon Parker (DSTO) was the original Human Factors Task Manager for that program and is continuing to support research being conducted as part of the PhD.

Crone, D., Sanderson, P., Naikar, N., & Parker, S. (2007). Selecting sensitive measures of performance in complex multivariable environments. Proceedings of the 2007 Simulation Technology Conference (SimTecT 2007). Lindfield, Australia: Simulation Industry Association of Australia. (attachment available on publications page)

Work Domain and Activity Analyses for a Future System for Maritime Surveillance

This project is concerned with the procurement of military systems to advance the Royal Australian Air Force’s maritime patrol and response capability. Traditionally, manned aircraft – the AP-3C Orion aircraft - have been used to fulfill this role, but for the first time a mix of manned and unmanned systems is being considered. While unmanned systems have a short history in land reconnaissance operations, they are yet to be employed for maritime surveillance operations. The exact work demands on the ground crew of a future Uninhabited Aerial System for maritime surveillance operations are, therefore, largely unknown. On this project, work domain analysis and control task analysis are being used to investigate some of the work demands of a future Unmanned Aerial System for maritime surveillance. Subsequently, these analyses may be used to design interfaces, teams, training, and workspaces for this system that are tailored to its work demands.

Work Domain Analysis: Concepts, Guidelines, and Cases

This project concerns the development of the following book:
Naikar, N. (in press). Work domain analysis: Concepts, guidelines, and cases. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

This book will discuss the key concepts of work domain analysis, describe guidelines for performing work domain analysis, and present case studies that demonstrate that work domain analysis can be applied to a range of problems in industrial settings. The concepts and guidelines for work domain analysis will be illustrated with a range of examples, including examples from a home, a system with which readers will be highly familiar. Moreover, for the first time, the book will examine the impact, uniqueness, and feasibility of applying work domain analysis in industrial settings in detail.

Air Force Redesign 

The Royal Australian Air Force is currently undergoing an organisational reshape in order to utilise its current capabilities and personnel more effectively, and also to prepare for planned system acquisitions, upgrades and retirements. If the Air Force is to be capable of meeting current and future Government requirements, it will have to have the right people, with the right skills, in the right distribution and organisational structure. It will also require new technology and equipment to be used to maximum effect. On this project, work domain analysis is being used to assist the Air Force to meet its reshape objectives.

Concepts for Cognitive Work Analysis 

Cognitive work analysis (CWA) is recognised, principally, for work domain analysis. Relatively little research has been directed at the remaining four phases of CWA, namely, control task analysis, strategies analysis, social organisation and cooperation analysis, and worker competencies analysis. As a result, the concepts underlying these four phases are less well understood. The aim of this project is to examine the key concepts of the remaining CWA stages. This work will provide a starting point for investigating a number of issues relating to these phases of analysis including whether or not they are useful or unique, their relationships to other approaches for work analysis, and any methodological shortcomings.

Naikar, N. (2006). An examination of the key concepts of the five phases of cognitive work analysis with examples from a familiar system. Proceedings of the 50th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (pp. 447-451). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. (attachment available on publications page).