The Complexity of Proceduralized Tasks

Procedures are usually written as clearly as possible to make them easy for users to understand. Despite this, procedures are rarely able to provide precise instructions about every possible situation, so following a procedure can often be harder than it seems: it is not a simple task, but rather a cognitive activity that can prove quite demanding. The Complexity of Proceduralized Tasks deals with the problem of quantifying the complexity of a proceduralized task; in other words, a task written as a procedure.

Procedures should be written in a way that is easy to follow, and that makes them easy to understand. The greater the complexity of a task, the more difficult it is to perform; therefore, measuring the complexity of proceduralized tasks can be very beneficial in assessing their potential effectiveness. Accordingly, this book proposes a systematic framework that is able to quantify the complexity of proceduralized tasks. This approach is designed to complement existing methods that have focused mainly on making procedures easier to understand, rather than enhancing their overall performance.

The Complexity of Proceduralized Tasks will be a valuable resource for researchers and students who are interested in the provision of effective procedures for the purpose of enhancing the performance of human operators. It discusses a range of complexity factors, with chapters dedicated to such topics as software complexity, emergency tasks, and the TACOM measure.

Springer Series in Reliability Engineering publishes high-quality books in important areas of current theoretical research and development in reliability, and in areas that bridge the gap between theory and application in areas of interest to practitioners in industry, laboratories, business, and government.

Autorentext

Jinkyun Park obtained his first degree in nuclear engineering in 1991 at Hanyang University in Seoul, Republic of Korea. He later earned his PhD degree in nuclear engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon, Republic of Korea. He joined the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in 2000, and now works as a senior researcher in the institute's Integrated Safety Assessment Division. His main research interest is in the performance of nuclear power plant operators who have to cope with an emergency by following a procedure. Dr Park uses the theories of human reliability analysis and cognitive systems engineering to suggest a practical way to improve the performance of human operators under emergencies.

Zusammenfassung
We think we have scientific knowledge when we know the cause. (Aristotle, Posterior Analytics Book II, Part 11) About 12 years ago, when I was a graduate student, many people were concerned about my Ph. D. topic investigating the effect of the complexity of procedu- lized tasks on the performance of human operators working in nuclear power plants. Although they agreed with the fact that procedures (especially emergency operating procedures) play a crucial role in securing the safety of nuclear power plants, it was amazing that most of them pointed out a very similar issue: I cannot understand why operating personnel see any difficulty (or complexity) in condu- ing procedures, because all that they have to do is to follow a simple IF-THEN- ELSE rule as written. Actually, this issue is closely related to one of the main questions I was recently asked, such as Don't you think your work is too acad- ic to apply to actual procedures? or I guess we don't need to consider the c- plexity of procedures, because we can develop a good procedure using many pr- tical procedure writers' guidelines. Then what is the real contribution of your work? I absolutely agree with the latter comment. Yes, we can develop a good pro- dure with the support of many practical and excellent guidelines.

Inhalt

Foundation.- Complexity of Proceduralized Tasks.- Significant Complexity Factors.- Complexity Evaluation.- to Software Complexity.- Emergency Tasks Prescribed in the EOPs of NPPs.- Analyzing the Required Actions Prescribed in Emergency Tasks.- Quantifying the Contribution of Task Complexity Factors.- Integrating the Contribution of Each Complexity Factor.- Validation of TACOM Measure.- Promising Applications and Outlook.- Promising Applications.- Concluding Remarks with Outlook.