The Department of Defense community realizes that the availability of meaningful and accurate technical information is necessary to support the maintenance of defense systems. Recently, paper documentation has begun to be replaced with Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs). IETMs are designed to enable a technician to walk through complex maintenance procedures in a logical sequence and provide detailed support for fault isolation and repair.
Because of their focus on performance aiding, IETMs are sometimes classified as an electronic performance support system (EPSS). However, the focus, design goals, construct, and performance outcomes differ significantly between an IETM and an EPSS. While higher-order (i.e., level 5) IETMs provide context filtering, where the display is driven by conditions that are controlled by variables and expressions, it still is focused primarily on documenting an equipment system. In contrast, an EPSS moves beyond the reference-based paradigm to provide a comprehensive electronic support environment that provides access to integrated performance-aiding tools, task structuring, decision aiding, and contextual access to structured knowledge within a job task framework.
Today's emphasis on the development of standards to promote efficient IETM development overlooks several critical aspects of human usability and job task performance. Studies cite numerous insufficiencies with currently available IETMs (level 4 and 5), which can be effectively addressed by evolving IETM design to an EPSS paradigm.
The International Programs Directorate within the U.S. Navy's Center for Surface Combat Systems, located in Dahlgren, Virginia, sponsored the development of a next-generation EPSS for the Aegis weapons system navigation and interface system as employed by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The EPSS institutionalizes subject matter expert knowledge, leverages the availability of a synthetic skills trainer through the use of performance-augmented simulation, supports multiple contexts of use, employs dynamic hypertext capabilities to enhance textual content, and employs visualization techniques to support visual and spatial performance styles. This paper will discuss this evolutionary approach and discuss the benefits to be derived.