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Related Experiment Video

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Quantitatively Measuring In situ Flows using a Self-Contained Underwater Velocimetry Apparatus (SCUVA)

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How a submarine returns to periscope depth: analysing complex socio-technical systems using Cognitive Work Analysis.

Neville A Stanton¹, Kevin Bessell

¹Transportation Research Group, Civil, Maritime, Environmental Engineering and Science, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.

Applied Ergonomics

|May 25, 2013

Summary

Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) was applied to a Trafalgar class submarine, detailing functions and activities during a critical maneuver. This provides a baseline for understanding complex socio-technical systems.

Keywords:

Cognitive Work Analysis Socio-technical systems Submarine Team work

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Area of Science:

Human Factors Engineering
Systems Analysis
Cognitive Science

Background:

Complex socio-technical systems, such as submarines, present significant analytical challenges.
Understanding the intricate interplay of functions, activities, and decisions is crucial for system safety and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

To apply Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) to a Trafalgar class submarine.
To describe functions, situations, activities, decisions, strategies, and competencies during the return to periscope depth maneuver.
To establish a baseline for future analysis and system improvements.

Main Methods:

Utilized all five phases of Cognitive Work Analysis: Work Domain Analysis, Control Task Analysis, Strategies Analysis, Social Organisation and Cooperation Analysis, and Worker Competencies Analysis.
Collected data through direct observation and interviews across multiple UK sites.
Employed functional means-ends analysis as a core component for integrated system representation.

Main Results:

Developed multiple representations detailing the work domain and current activities within the submarine's socio-technical system.
Provided a comprehensive baseline statement of the system's configuration.
Identified constraints acting on the work through diverse analytical representations.

Conclusions:

Cognitive Work Analysis offers an integrated framework for analyzing complex socio-technical systems.
The multiple representations generated provide a coherent understanding of system operations.
Future research should challenge identified constraints to foster innovation in operational strategies.