An Operator Workload Assessment Program for Army Systems

Abstract

Projected manpower declines coupled with increases in personnel costs and battlefield sophistication has prompted an increased reliance on high technology equipment in new Army systems. This advanced technology often features highly automated functions and promises substantially increased human and system productivity. However, potential enhancements to system performance may not be realized because the new technology frequently increases human perceptual, cognitive and psychomotor requirements to the point where the system operator may be said to be overloaded. Such a condition not only endangers the mission, but also threatens the safety of the soldier. As a result of these concerns, the Army Research Institute (ARI) has initiated a long-term research progran aimed at controlling excessive operator/crew workload in emerging Army systems. The objective of a recently completed three-year work unit of the workload research program was to validate operator workload measures on three Army systems and use the results to develop guidance for controlling operator workload in new Army systems. This research work unit - the Operator Workload (OWL) Program - has developed a number of products which contribute to the Army's initiative for Manpower and Personnel Integration (MANPRINT) during the acquisition and continuing development of materiel systems. The objective of this symposium is to present an overview of the approach and accomplishments of the OWL program, highlight two examples of experimental and analytical work which has been completed, describe an expert system developed to provide practical guidance on how best to assess workload levels for a given set of circumstances, and identify several areas for future research. With guidance provided by the discussant and input from members of the audience, the desired impact of this symposium will be a heightened awareness of the importance to the Army MANPRINT initiative of this and other continuing research programs. The long term objectives of these research efforts should be to develop reliable and valid methods which: (1) forecast the impact of operator workload on the design and performance of new Army systems, (2) effectively allocate workload-imposing tasks among soldier, hardware, and software components of systems and assess the influence of workload factors on the organizational design of Army units, and (3) establish procedures for the selection, classification, and training of soldiers to effectively cope with operator workload in operational situations.