TDRA represents the front-end of the HSI Process. The analytic activities which comprise the TDRA represent an adaptation of the classical front-end analysis which has always been a pillar of the human factors engineering discipline, and which has been described in MIL-HDBK-46855, MIL-HDBK-763, and the DoD Acquisition Deskbook. In addressing approaches to optimize system manning, simply automating system functions will not provide the warfighter with what is needed to monitor, plan, react, understand, maintain situation awareness, supervise, make decisions, make judgments, and modify plans due to changes in the tactical situation. The only viable approach to optimal manning and effective system performance is to develop a system where human and machine synergistically and interactively cooperate to conduct the mission, and where the automated system supports human performance with decision aiding, predictive what-if simulation, and information integration, data fusion, and knowledge generation.

The critical demand in this HSI approach is to understand the complementary and collaborative roles of human and machine in the performance of system functions, and how those roles may change in response to human workload, human availability, and mission changes. That can only be achieved through a Top Down Requirements Analysis which considers the roles and requirements for human and machine performance in each function associated with selected mission scenarios, and defines the information, decision, and performance requirements of the associated acquisition strategy.

The overall thrust of HSI in maritime system acquisition is to address how to optimize ship manning and human workloads (resulting in reduced ship life cycle costs) while at the same time enhancing the performance and safety of system personnel. To accomplish this, HSI must define the complete range of requirements for human involvement, human utilization, human performance, human safety, and human accommodation from the earliest stages of smilitary system development. TDRA represents a systems engineering approach to specifying the concerns for the human in ship systems.

The objective of the TDRA is to provide the analyzed requirements, allocation concepts, workload estimates, human task models, system metrics, and manning models necessary for influencing design with human requirements and considerations. Just as HSI is a systems engineering discipline, TDRA is a systems engineering application. As such, TDRA is requirements-driven, and is focused on defining system interfaces.

In terms of requirements, TDRA is concerned with identifying, analyzing and integrating requirements for missions, system functions, human involvement in the performance of functions, and training, personnel systems, safety and health, and quality of life. These requirements lead ultimately to development of design requirements for human-machine interfaces and human-automation interaction, manpower, personnel and training, safety and health, and quality of life implementations. In terms of a concern for systems interfaces, the scope of TDRA includes the interfaces between the human and other system elements (hardware, software, information, procedures, communications, organizations, and environments).

The TDRA comprises the basis for a disciplined development of innovative, revolutionary design concepts. The TDRA is the initial step in a formalized HSI Process and is an adaptation of the human engineering front-end analysis.

It is human-centered in that it focuses on roles and requirements of humans, defines design concepts in terms of human performance, safety and workload requirements, results in design approaches for human-machine interfaces, and establishes manpower, personnel and training approaches.

It is knowledge-based in that it relies on concepts based on mission, function and system requirements, and in that it is concerned with generation and processing of knowledge as well as information.

Finally, as applied in the early phases of acquisition of a radically new system concept, as in the case of the DD 21, it relies on extensive application of modeling and simulation, for requirements definition, concept development, design assessment, traing effectiveness evaluation, and human performance verification.

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