Modular Tool and Architecture for Distributed Team Workload Assessment

Although team workload is a significant factor in assessments of team performance, there has been little work to isolate this from other factors. We propose a research effort to ultimately define the requirements and corresponding architecture for a measurement tool that will facilitate the assessment of distributed team workload. We will develop a scientifically-grounded theoretical model of distributed team workload which will drive a systematic approach to structured measurement that combines subjective and objective inputs reflective of team performance. This will enable insight into potential aggregation and/or weighting methods and the interrelationships among variables impacting team workload. These insights will be incorporated into the design of a modular team workload assessment tool that can support different compositions for different domains, to exploit the subjective or objective data that may be available for collection. The modular tool architecture will include automated communications analysis and automated performance assessment technology components, as optional sources for supplementary objective data. Our interdisciplinary research team combines expertise in the theoretical aspects of team performance with applied experience developing technologies for performance assessment and networked tools. The Phase I measures, system design and concept demonstration will lay the groundwork for full implementation and validation in Phase II.