The Operational Context of Procedures and Checklists in Commercial Aviation

Abstract

To design effective and efficient procedures and checklists, one must take into account the full operational context within which these procedures are embedded. This context is defined by the requirements of the technology, the limitations and capabilities of the human operators, and the constraints and affordances of the operational environment. The complexity of this context arises from the interactions of the human, machine, and environment. We present a model of that operational context, THE Model, that lays the foundations for analyzing each of these elements and their interactions, and illustrate its application through the analysis of an aviation accident.