Task analysis for the investigation of human error in safety-critical software design: a convergent methods approach

An investigation was conducted into sources of error within a safety-critical software design task. A number of convergent methods of task- and error-analysis were systematically applied: hierarchical task analysis (HTA), error log audit, error observation, work sample and laboratory experiment. HTA...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ergonomics 1998-11, Vol.41 (11), p.1719-1736
Main Authors: Shryane, N M, Westerman, S J, Crawshaw, C M, Hockey, G R, Sauer, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ergonomics
Human error
Humans
Protective Devices
Safety
Software
Software Design
Space life sciences
Task analysis
Task Performance and Analysis
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Summary:An investigation was conducted into sources of error within a safety-critical software design task. A number of convergent methods of task- and error-analysis were systematically applied: hierarchical task analysis (HTA), error log audit, error observation, work sample and laboratory experiment. HTA, which provided the framework for the deployment of subsequent methods, revealed possible weaknesses in the areas of task automation and job organization. Application of other methods within this more circumscribed context focused on the impact of task and job design issues. The use of a convergent methods approach draws attention to the benefits and shortcomings of individual analysis methods, and illustrates the advantages of combining techniques to analyse complex problems. The features that these techniques should possess are highlighted.
ISSN:0014-0139
1366-5847
DOI:10.1080/001401398186153