A socio-technical analysis of functional properties in a joint cognitive system: a case study in an aircraft cockpit

Abstract

In a socio-technical work domain, humans, device interfaces and artefacts all affect transformations of information flow. Such transformations, which may involve a change of auditory to visual information & vice versa or alter semantic approximations into spatial proximities from instruments readings, are generally not restricted to solely human cognition. This paper applies a joint cognitive system approach to explore a socio-technical system. A systems ergonomics perspective is achieved by applying a multi-layered division to transformations of information between, and within, human and technical agents. The approach uses the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM), but abandons the traditional boundary between medium and agent in favour of accepting aircraft systems and artefacts as agents, with their own functional properties and relationships. The joint cognitive system perspective in developing the FRAM model allows an understanding of the effects of task and information propagation, and eventual distributed criticalities, taking advantage of the functional properties of the system, as described in a case study related to the cockpit environment of a DC-9 aircraft.

Practitioner Summary: This research presents the application of one systemic method to understand work systems and performance variability in relation to the transformation of information within a flight deck for a specific phase of flight. By using a joint cognitive systems approach both retrospective and prospective investigation of cockpit challenges will be better understood.

Abbreviations: ATC: air traffic control; ATCO: air traffic controller; ATM: air traffic management; CSE: cognitive systems engineering; DSA: distributed situation awareness; FMS: flight management system; FMV: FRAM model visualize; FRAM: functional resonance analysis method; GF: generalised function; GW: gross weight; HFACS: human factors analysis and classification system; JCS: joint cognitive systems; PF: pilot flying; PNF: pilot not flying; SA: situation awareness; SME: subject matter expert; STAMP: systems theoretic accident model and processes; VBA: visual basic for applications; WAD: work-as-done; WAI: work-as-imagined; ZFW: zero fuel weight

Keywords:

• FRAM
• joint cognitive system
• complex systems
• abstraction hierarchy
• systems ergonomics

Notes

Acknowledgements

We relied on Espen de Lange, Rune Sundland and Kari Åsvestad’s operational DC-9 knowledge to develop the FRAM model. We want to thank our former DC-9 pilots for their time and dedication. We are also grateful to the Gardermoen SAS Museum in Norway, for the consultation of a retired SAS DC-9 airline manual, that contained the actual procedures our pilots once used.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 myFRAM is a software application that operationalises FRAM analyses and can be obtained from http://functionalresonance.com/the%20fram%20model%20visualiser/myfram.html The FRAM Visualiser pre-dates myFRAM and can be found at http://functionalresonance.com/the%20fram%20model%20visualiser/index.html

2 The nomenclature for the two agents on the flight deck used throughout this research is representative of that used within the domain: Pilot Flying (PF) for the handling pilot and Pilot Not Flying (PNF) for the non-handling pilot