Job Performance Aids Research Articles

The Effect of Job Performance Aids on Quality Assurance

Job performance aids (JPAs) have been studied in a variety of disciplines and for many different types of tasks, yet this is the first known research experiment using JPAs in the quality assurance (QA) context. The objective was to assess whether a JPA has an effect on the performance of a QA observer in the concurrent dual verification construct using a simple checklist for a basic assembly task. Results show that the JPA has only a limited effect, however there were three significant findings that may draw interest from a variety of practitioners. First, a novel testing methodology sensitive enough to measure the effects of a JPA on performance was created. Second, the discovery that there are different probabilities of detection for different types of error and their impact on the QA context may be the most far-reaching result. Third, these results highlight the limitations of concurrent dual verification as a control against defects.

Exploring the usefulness of two variants of gaze-guiding-based dynamic job aids for performing a fixed-sequence start-up procedure after longer periods of non-use

Start-up procedures are non-routine tasks in process control, which are prone to skill decay. To mitigate skill decay, job performance aids (JPA) are used. A dynamic JPA was developed for the human-computer interface, which guides the gaze of the user by visual cues. Two gaze-guiding applications (spotlight, spotlight plus integration of information) were tested in terms of their impact in supporting the start-up performance after a three-week and six-month period of non-use (N = 46). Irrespective of the gaze-guiding format, participants with three weeks of non-use outperform participants with six months of non-use. Results show that the best indicator of skill loss is the length of the period of non-use. It is assumed that the advantage of gaze guiding plus integration of information was not shown due to the loss of interface-operating knowledge. In conclusion, gaze guiding for long periods of non-use needs to be accompanied by interface-operating knowledge.

Field Testing the AMIT Job Performance Aid: Methods, Results, and Implications for the Air Force Maintenance Community

The Aircraft Maintenance Intuitive Troubleshooting (AMIT) project was a 3 year endeavor sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Logistics Readiness Branch. The project's goal was to develop a Job Performance Aid (JPA) that Air Force maintenance technicians could use at the aircraft, regardless of experience level, and realize improved technician performance. This paper describes the AMIT Field Demonstration Test (FDT) and subsequent Cost Analysis (CA). The FDT demonstrated that using the AMIT JPA could reduce repair times by 41 to 50 minutes. Also, performance of novice specialists using AMIT approached or exceeded that of expert specialists using current methods. The CA, applying the FDT results to fleet-wide F-16 Block 40/42 maintenance data, revealed a potential savings of over 47,000 labor hours annually in repair time, translating roughly into $3,000,000 in labor costs. Similar savings are likely across additional airframes pending development and implementation of the AMIT solution.

A Model for Extending Hands‐On Science to Be Inquiry Based

Many popular hands‐on science activities, as traditionally implemented, fail to support inquiry‐based science instruction, because the activities direct teachers to terminate lessons prematurely. This paper presents a model describing one approach for extending seemingly limited hands‐on activities into full‐inquiry science lessons. The strategy involves (a) discrepant events to engage students in direct inquiry; (b) teacher‐supported brainstorming activities to facilitate students in planning investigations; (c) effective written job performance aids to provide structure and support; (d) requirements that students provide a product of their research, which usually includes a class presentation and a graph; and (e) class discussion and writing activities to facilitate students in reflecting on their activities and learning. The paper presents the model as a tool for facilitating science teachers' efforts to understand and implement the type of powerful, effective, and manageable inquiry‐based science instruction called for in the National Science Education Standards.

The Development of a Job Performance Aid Design Model for Use in Aviation

The Development of a Job Performance Aid Design Model for Use in Aviation

Instructional materials: their preparation and evaluation

Instructional materials enhance the teaching/learning process by exhibiting information necessary to acquire knowledge and skills. Focuses on printed forms of instructional materials and provides detailed information, including examples, on five types of job performance aids, three types of instruction sheets, and two types of modules. Checklists of considerations that affect the quality of finished products are also provided. Job performance aids (JPAs)provide procedural or factual guidance in the performance of tasks. They store essential details in a variety of functional forms for use just before or during task performance. Research shows that JPAs are a cost‐effective supplement or alternative to training. They reduce the time needed to master task performance and facilitate the transfer of learning from the training setting to the job. Instruction sheets assure that all trainees have the same complete and accurate information for performing practical work and for completing assignments. These sheets also help manage large groups of trainees with diverse abilities who are working simultaneously at several different tasks. Modules are carefully structured documents which facilitate self‐directed and self‐paced learning. While their components may vary, modules typically include learning objectives, an introduction, instructional content, directions, learning activities, and test questions with feedback answers. With modules, trainees assume personal responsibility for their progress. Regardless of the care used in their preparation, all types of instructional materials must be evaluated prior to general use. Presents a comprehensive quality control procedure for confirming effectiveness and value. This was prepared to enhance both formal classroom instruction and individual study. Figures, tables, checklists, appendices, and a glossary of keywords and terms, supplement the text in explaining the content.

Job performance aids

Research and experience have shown that job performance aids (JPAs) are a cost‐effective alternative or supplement to training. Based on job and task analysis information, they store essential details on performance in a variety of functional and durable forms for use just before or during task performance. Although most JPAs are in printed (hard copy) form, a series of illustrations or directions on an audio or video tape as well as information on a computer screen are also JPAs when they reduce the amount of information to be remembered, specify what actions to take, and indicate when to take each action. The five basic types of JPAs are procedural guide, worksheet, checklist, decision table and flowchart. Describes each type and provides preparation guidelines, along with examples. Also presents important information on layout and format, including the use of illustrations and how to provide emphasis, as well as on effective writing. A comprehensive four‐step quality control procedure describes how the effectiveness and value of JPAs can be confirmed.

Job Performance Aids for the Flight Standards Service

Aviation Safety Inspectors make up the inspection team of the Flight Standards Service, which is responsible for enforcing the laws governing civil aviation. We are developing pen-computer-based job performance aids to assist the inspectors in their job duties. These aids provide inspectors with tools for data collection and on-line documentation. The tools eliminate redundant data recording, prevent errors, increase capabilities, and support quick retrieval of up-to-date regulatory information.

Just plain talk part 4: On using job performance aids in lieu of or as an adjunct to training

Just plain talk part 4: On using job performance aids in lieu of or as an adjunct to training

Development of Job Performance Aids to Increase Human Performance Reliability: A Case Study in the Evaluation of Human Factors Principles

A study of criticality safety, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy, was conducted by Scientech Inc. at the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility. The study concluded that human performance is the driving factor in the risk of an inadvertent criticality incident at the Rocky Flats Plant (RFP). A study of the infractions which have occurred at this facility bears this point out. A human factors team was established to identify a means of reducing human error in every day operations. The team determined that the posted instructions near each work area are key to operators having a clear understanding of operating requirements. An evaluation of the posted instructions revealed that they were very complex, required operators to monitor multiple parameters, and resulted in the operators” attention being divided between operational tasks and the task of monitoring nuclear safety parameters. Alternative graphics, textual, and graphics and textual formats combined with color coding were developed to improve comprehensibility, understandability, controllability, and usability in the Job Performance Aids (JPAs). Results of field tests of the different formats provide clear indication that operators prefer short, concise textual statements summarizing important information over both other formats. Although operators indicated interest in the graphics formats, the magnitude of change in presentation techniques and the generalizability of the icons argued against their immediate use. Issues in the development of candidate JPAs and other usability requirements are discussed.

Human Factors Engineers as Change Agents

This presentation describes a case study and the lessons learned when a Human Factors Engineering (HFE) Department was enlisted as technical experts but gradually assumed a much larger role as change agents in transforming outdated job practices into streamlined processes that promoted a safety culture. At Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons processing plant in Colorado, a workforce of over 7000 people support or directly operate a myriad of processes that range from laboratory analysis to typical foundry activities, greatly complicated by the presence of fissile, radioactive materials. Safe handling of these materials was governed by detailed discussions contained in Nuclear Material Safety limits (NMSLs). In spite of this rather extensive documentation, operators were committing an unacceptable number of safety infractions. Analysis revealed NMSLs were difficult to comprehend and not practical for use in operational settings. New job performance aids, called Criticality Safety Operating Limits (CSOLs) were developed to solve these problems. However, the solution involved more than applying good human factors principles to this job-aid. Following the classic Lewin Force Field Model of Change, safety infractions made change imperative; the forces operating against it were tradition, and perceived irrelevance of new expertise. Historically, Criticality Engineering dictated safety limits to Operations. Inmore » the course of Human Factoring'' the CSOLs, the HFE, through an iterative process, became the team integrator of this development process. Using Quality concepts such as buy-in, empowerment, and ownership, HFE was able to instantiate and receive enthusiastic acceptance of their products.« less

A job performance aid evaluation tool

Performance + InstructionVolume 31, Issue 8 p. 24-26 Article A job performance aid evaluation tool James L. Moseley, James L. Moseley WSU School of Medicine, Room 1203 Scott Hall, 540 E. Canfield Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201 James L. Moseley is Coordinator of Educational Programs at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit. Dr. Moseley also teaches IT courses in Wayne State's College of Education.Search for more papers by this authorSteven Larson, Steven Larson Kmart International Headquarters, 3100 W. Big Beaver, Troy, MI 48084-3163 Steven Larson is Store Associate Training Coordinator for Kmart Corporation where he is responsible for the design, development and evaluation of training interventions for the organization's 250,000 associates.Search for more papers by this author James L. Moseley, James L. Moseley WSU School of Medicine, Room 1203 Scott Hall, 540 E. Canfield Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201 James L. Moseley is Coordinator of Educational Programs at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit. Dr. Moseley also teaches IT courses in Wayne State's College of Education.Search for more papers by this authorSteven Larson, Steven Larson Kmart International Headquarters, 3100 W. Big Beaver, Troy, MI 48084-3163 Steven Larson is Store Associate Training Coordinator for Kmart Corporation where he is responsible for the design, development and evaluation of training interventions for the organization's 250,000 associates.Search for more papers by this author First published: September 1992 https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.4170310808 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume31, Issue8September 1992Pages 24-26 RelatedInformation

Some useful lessons learned about electronic presentation of job performance aids : Inaba, KProc Tropical Meeting on Advances in Human Factors Research: on Man/Computer Interactions: Nuclear and Beyond, Nashville, Tennessee, 10–14 June 1990. American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, Illinois, USA, (1990) pp 146–150 (0 refs)

Some useful lessons learned about electronic presentation of job performance aids : Inaba, KProc Tropical Meeting on Advances in Human Factors Research: on Man/Computer Interactions: Nuclear and Beyond, Nashville, Tennessee, 10–14 June 1990. American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, Illinois, USA, (1990) pp 146–150 (0 refs)

Processing procedural documents: A cognitive model for following written directions

This paper reviews empirical literature on how people use documents to perform tasks. We examine studies that have been published under the topics of: following written directions, reading maps, following instructions, using job performance aids, and processing procedural texts. Documents that contain a procedure, such as a set of directions, require transformation of information. Such transformation frequently requires converting a procedure represented verbally in a text into a procedure represented behaviorally in a performance. To accomplish this transformation, we propose that students must: (a) form a conceptual model of the performance; (b) encode procedures from the document; (c) engage in self-testing; and (d) conduct self-corrections to repair mistakes. We further propose that these operations are performed most efficiently with distinctive information resources. An overview of the task is likely to be most effective in facilitating conceptual model formation. Procedural information that emphasizes temporal characteristics of the performance will facilitate the encoding of procedures. A representation of the outcome (usually graphic) improves self-testing, and the comparison of the outcome with progress in the workspace leads to most effective self-correction. This process-resource interaction minimizes the number and complexity of transformations required to process procedural documents.

Hypermedia approach to a multiple design and development need: A case study

Hypermedia approach to a multiple design and development need: A case study

Checking out the checklist: Evaluation of a job performance aid for assessing : Perspectives. Proc Human Factors Soc 33rd Ann Meeting, Denver, Colorado, 16–20 Oct 1989. Human Factors Soc, Santa Monica, Cal, Vol 2, 1989, pp 820–824, 3 refs organizational resource management

Checking out the checklist: Evaluation of a job performance aid for assessing : Perspectives. Proc Human Factors Soc 33rd Ann Meeting, Denver, Colorado, 16–20 Oct 1989. Human Factors Soc, Santa Monica, Cal, Vol 2, 1989, pp 820–824, 3 refs organizational resource management

Human Factors in the Maintenance and Inspection of Aircraft

Recent accidents and incidents in the world-wide air carrier industry have highlighted the role of aircraft maintenance and inspection in aviation safety. However, aviation human factors research in the past has focused almost exclusively on aircrew and air traffic controller activities. It has become clear that aviation safety relies on a complex interplay of specialists in various disciplines not the least of which are the technicians who diagnose and repair aircraft and their systems. Maintenance technicians are typically members of large industrial organizations subject to problems that beset similar service-oriented industries. Competitive and time pressures abound as well as problems related to selection, training, work environment, job performance aids, and communication. The performance of these specialists is critically bound up with activities of others such as equipment and system designers, technical publication authors, and training providers. The purpose of this symposium is to explore some of the issues which appear to be crucially related to human performance in aircraft maintenance and inspection. The FAA has embarked on a multi-year research program to identify areas where human factors knowledge can lead to significant improvements in safety and to develop or synthesize this knowledge where appropriate. The first paper (Dr. William Shepherd) will overview some of the maintenance human factors issues of today and the future as well as the research program currently underway at the FAA's Office of Aviation Medicine. The three remaining papers will describe some of the specific activity being conducted within this program. Dr. James Taylor will describe his research related to the organizational psychology of the airline maintenance system. His paper addresses issues of worker-management and inter-department communication along with a variety of “socio-technical” considerations. Dr. Colin Drury will describe the results of an extensive maintenance and inspection task analysis that has been conducted at numerous airline maintenance sites. Dr. William Johnson will present the results of an analysis of industry needs related to the application of new technology to maintenance training. Dr. Johnson will also present the evolving specifications for an expert system based maintenance training intelligent tutoring system. The integration of the latter three papers will demonstrate that the overall FAA maintenance research program is studying the organization, the job and the person.

Basic Skills Impediments to Communication Between Management and Hourly Employees

Print-communication demands in most businesses have increased. At the same time, demographic and economic trends are forcing employers to hire employees with lower skill levels. These trends will continue well into the next decade. Increasingly, businesses are recognizing the economic consequences of print communication problems. A first step is realizing that there are a variety of problems that call for differing solutions. A few workers need long-term support to move from virtual illiteracy to productive skill levels. Many more workers need to have basic skills training integrated with regular job training if training is to be effective. Finally, industries are increasingly focusing upon areas where mistakes are made or promotion is blocked. In such areas, solutions range from short-term targeted training to redesigned documents and job performance aids.

Checking Out the Checklist: Evaluation of a Job Performance Aid for Assessing Organizational Resource Management

As a job performance aid, the checklist has been applied to a wide variety of organizational requirements such as task analysis, survey questionnaire development, office automation, and maintenance. Although there are many examples of checklists that have been developed for different organizational requirements, there has been relatively little research performed to evaluate the checklists. One reason for this may be the lack of an acceptable methodology and evaluation criteria. This paper (a) describes a methodology and the criteria developed to evaluate the checklist used to assess the management of aviation resources by Army Reserve Component training facilities and units and (b) summarizes the results of the evaluation. Army National Guard and Army Reserve aviators and aviation technicians used 5-point rating scales to evaluate the Detectability, Importance, and Criticality of the checklist items. A data base was developed to summarize the Detectability, Importance, and Criticality information. In addition, a graphic decision aid was designed to help military managers decide whether to retain, revise, or delete individual checklist items. The methodology and criteria developed for this research may be applicable in other organizational contexts, especially those in which there is a requirement to evaluate an existing checklist and a full-scale validation effort is not feasible.

A Desktop Expert System as a Human Factors Work Aid

The advent of increasingly powerful microcomputers, coupled with the development of small, feature-packed expert systems now makes it cost effective to provide workers with relatively inexpensive desktop expert systems. In order to evaluate the value of such systems as work aids for human factors engineers, we developed a small demonstration system using a commercially available expert system development tool, NEXPERTTM, released in 1985 by Neuron Data, Inc. of Palo Alto, CA. We selected a candidate problem area based on four criteria: 1) the problem domain had to be small enough to be covered comprehensively by a relatively small knowledge base; 2) the problem domain had to be potentially useful to video display terminal (VDT) screen designers; 3) appropriate information had to be readily available in human factors guidelines, published reports, and journal articles; and 4) the problem should provide the opportunity to exercise as many of the features of NEXPERT as possible. The topic area we selected was “video display screen color”. Our goal was to produce a job performance aid (JPA) that non-human factors VDT screen designers could use to select appropriate colors for screen features. Because the system users typically have little or no formal training in human factors, the JPA has to supply color recommendations in the form of clearly stated requirements, but with the decision rationale and additional references also immediately available for users wanting more information. Using the expert system shell provided by NEXPERT, we constructed a knowledge base containing more than one hundred IF …, THEN … rules representing knowledge gained from a detailed literature review. We initially validated our expert system by posing a wide variety of hypothetical design problems and assessing its conclusions against our expectations. Based on our work so far, we have concluded that small expert systems can be useful in providing human factors expertise to system designers. We believe that increasing use of expert systems may soon lead to changes in the typical current scientific publication format to include knowledge base rules provided by the author(s).