Task Analysis

1
Task Analysis

• An introduction

2
What is Task Analysis

• Broad ranging group of methodologies
• Decompositional in nature
• Many uses e.g.
• Always goal driven

3
Learning Goals

• Understand the principles of task analysis
• Be familiar with all the core methodologies
• Have a knowledge of a selection of less
  frequently used methods
• Conduct at least one extensive task analysis
• Understand why such simple techniques are so
  useful
• Understand the limitations of their use.

4
Basic stages of task analysis

• Awareness of need to examine issue
• Question definition
• Knowledge Elicitation
• Knowledge Representation
• Data analysis and manipulation
• Iteration and Validation
• Recommendation, comment and intervention

5
Awareness/question definition

• Important issue when work is commissioned
• Closely linked to organisational issues
• May be in house, or out sourced
• Resourcing a key issue - task analyses take time

6
Knowledge Elicitation - gathering data

• A discrete stage that needs to done thoroughly
• A range of techniques
• Should develop a proper strategy
• experience should allow the expert practitioner
  to proceed on an apparently informal basis
• Need to acquire domains specific knowledge to be
  effective

7
Some methods for Knowledge Elicitation

• Observation
• Verbal protocols
• Interviews
• Diary Studies
• Questionnaires
• Protocol analysis Operating logs
• Action Research Paradigm

8
Who to gather information from?

• Operators
• Experts
• Naive users
• Trainers
• Supervisors
• Managers
• Associated roles e.g. pilot for an ATC TA

9
Some methods for Knowledge Representation (KR)

• HTA - Hierarchical Task Analysis
• TTA - Tabular Task Analysis
• FMEA- Failure Mode Effect Analysis
• Link Analysis
• MORT - Management Oversight Risk Trees
• Murphy Diagrams
• Time Line Analysis
• And many, many, many more.

10
Further analysis

• data may, on analysis yield further useful
  information
• e.g. Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA)
• e.g. Human Reliability Analysis(HRA)
• e.g. organisational analysis

11
Intervention

• Outside the formal task analysis process
• Likely that you will wish to make or even
  undertake interventions.