Using cognitive work analysis to explore activity allocation within military domains

Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) is frequently advocated as an approach for the analysis of complex sociotechnical systems. Much of the current CWA literature within the military domain pays particular attention to its initial phases; Work Domain Analysis and Contextual Task Analysis. Comparably, the analysis of the social and organisational constraints receives much less attention. Through the study of a helicopter Mission Planning System (MPS) software tool, this paper describes an approach for investigating the constraints affecting the distribution of work. The paper uses this model to evaluate the potential benefits of the social and organisational analysis phase within a military context. The analysis shows that, through its focus on constraints the approach provides a unique description of the factors influencing the social organisation within a complex domain. This approach appears to be compatible with existing approaches and serves as a validation of more established social analysis techniques

Cognitive work analysis: Extensions and applications in command and control

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.'Complex sociotechnical systems' are systems made up of numerous interacting parts, both human and non-human, operating in dynamic, ambiguous and safety critical domains. The system design, and representation, has significant implications for the usability of the system, its performance, errors and reliability. Due to its formative constraint-based approach, Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) has been frequently proposed as a framework for modelling these complex systems, further it is contended that the approach can be extended to design for interaction without significant deviation from the accepted framework. This thesis presents a number of applications in complex military domains to explore and develop the benefits of CWA. Unlike much of the previous literature, particular attention is placed on exploring the CWA framework in its entirety. This holistic approach focuses on the system environment, the activity that takes place within it, the strategies used to conduct this activity, the way in which the constituent parts of the system (both human and non-human) interact and the behaviour required. Each stage of this analysis identifies the constraints governing the system; it is contended that through this holistic understanding of constraints, recommendations can be made for the design of system interaction; increasing the ability of users to cope with unanticipated, unexpected situations. This thesis discusses the applicability of the approach in system analysis, development and evaluation. It provides process to what was previously a loosely defined framework.This work is part-funded by the Human Sciences Domain of the UK Ministry of Defence Scientific Research Programme

Development Of A Cognitive Work Analysis Framework Tutorial Using Systems Modeling Language

At the present time, most systems engineers do not have access to cognitive work analysis information or training in terms they can understand. This may lead to a disregard of the cognitive aspect of system design. The impact of this issue is system requirements that do not account for the cognitive strengths and limitations of users. Systems engineers cannot design effective decision support systems without defining cognitive work requirements. In order to improve system requirements, integration of cognitive work requirements into the systems engineering process has to be improved. One option to address this gap is the development of a Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) framework using Systems Modeling Language (SysML). The study had two phases. The first involved aligning the CWA terminology with the SysML to produce a CWA framework using SysML. The second was the creation of an instruction using SysML to inform systems engineers of the process of integrating cognitive work requirements into the systems engineering process. This methodology provides a structured framework to define, manage, organize, and model cognitive work requirements. Additionally, it provides a tool for systems engineers to use in system design which supports a user’s cognitive functions, such as situational awareness, problem solving, and decision making

Cognitive Work Analysis to Support Collaboration in Teamwork Environments

Cognitive Work analysis (CWA) as an analytical approach for examining complex socio-technical systems has shown success in modeling the work of single operators. The CWA approach allows room for social and team interactions, but a more explicit analysis of team aspects can reveal more information for systems design. CWA techniques and models do not yet provide sufficient guidance on identifying shared constraints, team strategies, or social competencies of team players. In this thesis, I explore whether a team approach to CWA can yield more information than a typical CWA. Team CWA techniques and models emerge and extend from theories and models of teamwork, past attempts to model teams with CWA, and the results of two sets of observational studies. The potential benefits of using Team CWA models in domains with strong team collaboration are demonstrated through the results of a two-week observation at the Labour and Delivery Department of The Ottawa Hospital and a fifteen-week observation at the IBM Ottawa Software Group

Cognitive work analysis : extensions and applications in command and control

'Complex sociotechnical systems' are systems made up of numerous interacting parts, both human and non-human, operating in dynamic, ambiguous and safety critical domains. The system design, and representation, has significant implications for the usability of the system, its performance, errors and reliability. Due to its formative constraint-based approach, Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) has been frequently proposed as a framework for modelling these complex systems, further it is contended that the approach can be extended to design for interaction without significant deviation from the accepted framework. This thesis presents a number of applications in complex military domains to explore and develop the benefits of CWA. Unlike much of the previous literature, particular attention is placed on exploring the CWA framework in its entirety. This holistic approach focuses on the system environment, the activity that takes place within it, the strategies used to conduct this activity, the way in which the constituent parts of the system (both human and non-human) interact and the behaviour required. Each stage of this analysis identifies the constraints governing the system; it is contended that through this holistic understanding of constraints, recommendations can be made for the design of system interaction; increasing the ability of users to cope with unanticipated, unexpected situations. This thesis discusses the applicability of the approach in system analysis, development and evaluation. It provides process to what was previously a loosely defined framework.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceHuman Sciences Domain of the UK Ministry of Defence Scientific Research ProgrammeGBUnited Kingdo

The development of a cognitive work analysis tool

Due to their complexity, systems used within Network Centric Warfare and Command and Control are notoriously difficult to predict. These systems are often influenced by an ever increasing number of dynamic constraints. This dynamic instability causes problems for many traditional normative Human Factors techniques. Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) is a formative process that focuses on these constraints rather than prescriptive methods of working; this constraint based approach allows the model to handle the unexpected and unanticipated events common in network-centric warfare. This paper presents the development of a Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) software tool. The tool has two main purposes. The primary purpose is to assist the user in developing the large number of graphical representations that support the iterative design process. The secondary purpose is to explain CWA to novices and systematically guide them through the analysis process. The paper provides a brief introduction to CWA along with a description of the tool and its current capabilities