ABSTRACT
A common motivation in automating manufacturing is to create continuous processes, using production staff to undertake system supervision rather than manual activity. This issue is emerging in Royal Mail, with the introduction of new mail sorting technologies. We have used hierarchical task analysis (HTA) to understand these new tasks and to inform issues concerned with the design of jobs and other human factors. Much of the analysis of this novel context was made possible by recognising the similarities with existing process control plants. Results of analysis show a mix of manual and cognitive tasks. Manual skills required are similar to present arrangements in sorting offices, but supervisory monitoring, problem solving and planning skills are not. Despite similarities between the operating philosophy of Royal Mail and process control, several cognitive skills in Royal Mail appear unique to sorting office supervision. The need to understand more fully how these systems should be supervised has prompted the development of task simulation in order that supervisory skills might be studied further.
