ABSTRACT
In chapter 3, we reviewed normative approaches to work analysis to see how well they
stand up to the unique challenges imposed by complex sociotechnical systems. In this
chapter, we do the same for descriptive approaches to work analysis. The important
contributions of descriptive approaches are illustrated through four case studies. The
convergent findings from these cases help us identify additional dimensions that must be
considered in work analysis. We argue that these descriptive techniques are very
important and useful in understanding what workers really do and what they would like
to do. Nevertheless, there are limitations in extracting design implications from
descriptive approaches to work analysis. Our conclusion is that the descriptive analysis of
current practice should be viewed as one of several possible means to investigate intrinsic
work constraints, rather than an end in itself. Computer-based information systems should
not be designed based solely on studies of current practice, nor should they be designed
to support just the practices in which workers are currently engaged. These insights
directly motivate a need for the formative approach to work analysis introduced in the
following chapter.
