The U.S. Navy's Fleet Response Plan (FRP) requires a state of readiness be maintained throughout the Inter-Deployment Training Cycle (IDTC). Due to current warfighting requirements, the Fleet requires sailors, ships, and squadrons to be ready to deploy earlier in the IDTC. Fleet readiness relies heavily upon team interaction rather than the individual efforts of Sailors. Historically, the Navy has placed greater emphasis on individual-skills based training as opposed to team performance. This emphasis is the impetus for many training and educational decisions affecting Sailor performance and Naval mission accomplishment. With the advent of congressional endorsement for a mission-based approach to readiness, policy now dictates the Naval Mission Essential Task List (NMETL) be the guiding doctrine for performance and readiness.

However, a defined process documenting how Watch Stations and Watch Teams support Naval/Unit missions was nonexistent. More specifically, clear definition of human performance requirements impacting readiness of shipboard teams and individuals at specific watch stations is not well documented in Navy doctrine

For this project, the contribution of Navy's Human Performance Center was the development of a process to investigate how team collaboration impacts the achievement of Unit mission objectives. This process, labeled as Mission Area Analysis (MAA), entails mapping of Naval Mission Essential Tasks (NMETs) from the Unit level to the individual level through the analysis of teams and identification of human performance deficiencies including, but not limited to, deficiencies of knowledge and skill. Typically, Human Performance Improvement projects begin with a specific and well-defined problem. In contrast, the MAA is initiated by a suspected or broad, wide-spread deficiency that cannot be related to a specific individual occupational rating but rests within a team, departmental, inter-departmental, or inter-organizational exchange requiring coordination in achievement of the common goal. This paper will describe the development of the MAA process, including lessons learned.