ABSTRACT
This chapter reports the results of Experiment that examines the effects of changes to the information processing capacity of the avionics repair workflow on the performance of that workflow over time. Embedded within this experiment is an investigation of organization "slack," which while theoretically and practically significant is extremely difficult to isolate and measure. The similarity in formal organization design used at all sites enabled the author to construct a baseline description of "databases" used or generated in each shop and material and information flows. If the decision process within any unit is expanded to include additional information, whether by increasing number of databases or increasing the flows of information between them, the scope of the decision has been increased. As developmental experience with the Versatile Avionics Shop Test Automated Management Program modules was gained, additional decision-support information was incorporated into the VAMP algorithm, and many of the additional variables from both the "hard" and "soft" systems.
