Expanding system designs to support the cognitive demands of teams

"Team interaction and coordination are critical elements in the complex systems of today and tomorrow. The field of cognitive engineering (DC) represents human requirements in order to improve design, but it has not yet adequately accounted for teamcomponents. CE has not yet transitioned research strategies to practical strategies for Program Managers responsible for designing complex systems involving teams of humans and technologies. Klein Associates proposes to perform a team Cognitive TaskAnalysis (CTA) in order to capture the cognitive elements of teams that are important in system design. The goal is to derive tools that capture the essence of team performance to help Program managers specify the decisions, judgments, and situationassessment requirements of teams. Klein Associates will generate a concept for methods and tools to support system design for improved team performance. This approach is innovative because it merges two related lines of research: 1) decision-centereddesign (DCD) approach, which identifies the cognitive demands of individuals for system design, and 2) strategies for identifying the critical elements for effective team performance. Incorporating the cognitive demands of teams into the DCD design processwill be a critical step in the advancement of the field of cognitive engineering. The development of an effective technique to support the early stages of conceptual design to effectively support team c