Functional analysis of flight crew performance : a systems engineering perspective on crew resource management

Abstract

Many failures of interpersonal communication and coordination in the aircraft cockpit have been found to occur as a result of poor management of flightdeck 'resources'. Crew Resource Management (CRM) is a concept that has evolved within the aviation community to specifically address this issue of resource management. The concept of CRM has necessitated a paradigm shift from individual pilot issues to crew behavior or group-level issues. Despite a decade of research, CRM remains a poorly defined concept. Ongoing research in the field of CRM has led to the development of a few models of CRM and group performance, but although these models provide valuable insight into the issues involved, they fail to present a much needed, coherent theory of crew performance. I believe that the application of the principles of systems engineering can lead to a better definition of the terms and concepts involved in CRM, thereby leading to its better understanding. Using the principles of Structured Analysis and Design Technique (SADT) and IDEF0, I developed a model of crew performance. By treating the crew as a system, performance was analyzed from a CRM perspective, resulting in a functional model of crew performance which acts as a framework for understanding and integrating the various terms and concepts involved in CRM, such as mental models and situation awareness. The model was then applied towards analyzing two aircraft accidents representative of "good" and "bad" CRM. The model is potentially useful in developing objective measures of crew performance so as to enable the establishment of CRM standards for evaluation. A comprehensive representation of crew performance, it can be applied to analyzing aircraft accidents and incidents. It is also potentially useful as an instructional aid in the development of training programs for CRM instructors and check airmen, and in the design of flightdecks.