Automated tool for task analysis of NextGen automation

The realization of NextGen capabilities will require rapid deployment of revised airline cockpit procedures and the pre-requisite training and proficiency checks. Traditional approaches for the evaluation of the re-designed procedures and training, such as expert reviews and human-in-the- loop tests, cannot provide comprehensive analysis, cannot be performed until after the procedures and training are developed, and are cost and time prohibitive. This paper describes the emergence of a new class of tools to automate the evaluation of procedures and training. The tools capture the procedures and tasks to be trained in a formal model that is stored in a data-base. Human performance models are executed to estimate the ease-of-learning, ease-of-use and likelihood of failure of each of the tasks. The procedures and tasks can be defined rapidly, and modified and run repeatedly throughout the development cycle. The underlying models and tools are described in this paper. A case study and the implications of these tools are also discussed.