A1+-+Activity+and+Task+Analysis



toc  =Description =

Based on the textbook concepts of activity charts and hierarchical task analysis, you will create an activity chart of a particular job, dissect one particularly problematic task using hierarchical task analysis, and create a new task analysis model of a revised task model that improves on the existing task.

Given the requirements, you will need to have access to many specific details of the job – so it probably should be something you have done or are presently doing and can gain access to detailed internal information.

Further information and support towards this task will be provided in lab.


 * Due: Monday, February 9, 2009 **

We will be submitting a hard copy in labs and submitting it to Elara.

A great site to create flow charts professor Jones mentioned in tutorial is http://www.gliffy.com/. You can also use "smart draw" to create your flow chart, check: [|http://www.smartdraw.com]

(note: pretty much the same assignment, yep. user:mlwjones)
 * A breakdown of the assignment from cct333-w08 wiki: **


 * 1)** Create user experience diagrams (see section 19.6 of text) - pgs 492-497 that outline the job's core activities in chart form. You will need to outline a minimum of seven focus areas in full, and show how these focus areas are linked in practice.

(Notes from Jan 12, 8pm tutorial to help on the above...)

** 2) ** Based on the analysis done above, you will likely discern that there are procedures and tasks that are not particularly effective and could be improved. You will discern all of the tasks and procedures into these fields:
 * Purpose - Reason for task, overall purpose
 * Functions - What is involved? Why is this necessary?
 * Objects - Physical things involved with task
 * Links - Other steps involved (or other tasks or systems)
 * Constraints - Challenges, things that could go wrong (overall)
 * Issues - Specific issues
 * Roles - People involved


 * Pick one and outline the problematic procedure using a flowchart **


 * 3) **<span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(217, 13, 13);"> Now, create an improved version of the process outlined in step 2, also as a flowchart.
 * 4) ** <span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(217, 13, 13);"> Conclude with a writeup that outlines and defends decisions made in the above three steps( last year was 2 pages approx 500 words)

<span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(217, 13, 13);">A simple but correct guide to makeing and useing flow charts: http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/book8/bk8i1/bk8_1i2.htm <span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(217, 13, 13);"> And a couple of amusing ones.

media type="youtube" key="k0xgjUhEG3U" height="295" width="480"

(http://www.xkcd.com/518/)



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=<span style="color: rgb(177, 2, 2);"><span style="color: rgb(56, 56, 56);">Due Date = =<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"> = <span style="color: rgb(140, 178, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(140, 178, 255);">**<span style="color: rgb(252, 29, 29);">Due: Feb 9, 2009 **

=<span style="color: rgb(56, 56, 56);">FAQ (including some questions copied from last year...) = If anyone has any questions or helpful suggestions for Assignment One please do post [|here].

|| **Answers:** || <span style="color: rgb(25, 1, 244);">*see bottom of page ||
 * **Questions:**
 * Do we need to include a write up? || I believe a write up is required to defend the changes you make to the processes in your flow chart user:d_tandan ||
 * Does it matter how big or small a job is? For example, does working at Tim Hortons as a cashier, along with other tasks, count for such an assignment???? || Sure, that's fine - even small jobs are amazingly complex when you add up all the small tasks one does. ||  ||
 * Did you want the flowchart shapes to be coloured like in the tutorial example? Example: All decision shapes to be red and all action shapes blue. || Not necessarily. All shapes of the same kind must be the same colour. Example: All decision shapes must be the same colour, all action shapes must be the same colour. Just keep it uniform. (Prof note: even simple black and white will do: agreed with the above comment that if colour is used, it should be used judiciously.) ||
 * What if the problem in the process involves //TWO// **focus areas** from the **UED**? For example, in a kitchen, cooking and plating are two seperate focus areas but come together to make one process.... is this allowed? || This should be fine - there's no direct connection between the UED diagram and the flowcharts, but rather that the first inspires the creation of the second. It's entirely plausible that the problem you look to solve stems from two UED focus areas in conflict. ||
 * Last week in tutorial we were shown a list of how to analyze each task. Is that posted anywhere on here? If not, can you please post it? || The list is in the text - p. 493-494. Not something I'm really allowed to cut and paste here, but if people want to create a list and help explain some of the attributes, it would be a good value-added element for the course.
 * Hey Mike, just a quick question - When we talk about the 7 focus groups, are we required to make 7 flow charts in all to correspond with these groups? Or did you want everything on one flow chart in the end? Just asking in terms of messiness, cause what if the job you are doing is quite big? Thanks! || One flowchart on one problematic process from one focus area is fine - the seven focus areas are just there to highlight the job's overall complexity. The process you pick will likely follow from the most problematic focus area you outline. ||
 * Does the modified version (the second flow chart) of the original flow chart (first flow chart) have to have significantly lesser steps than the original? Because in my example, the modified version has more steps but the process is still significantly simpler. || Simpler is not necessarily better (e.g., the hamburger order example - making everything into one-size-fits-all combos is efficient, but reduces consumer choice, which might alienate customers...) Sometimes the improved process will be more complex - it all depends on what problem you identify and how you'd see improving it. That said, if your revised process makes less sense and seems to create more problems than it solves, that's not a very strong revision, of course. ||
 * For the focus areas listed in step 1 the 7 of them are we expanding on all of them in a flow chart or only one? I am somewhat confused for this one part. Is step one just written out in document word and then do we take one focus area and put the Functions, Links, Objects, Constraints, Issues and Roles for that one focus area into a flow chart? ... and then for step 3 we try and shorten it? If i am way off topic and you can let me know it will be very helpful. || You're outlining 7 focus areas (similar to what's done on p. 496, except they just cut it off at four...) For the second step (the incorrect process flowchart) you're only doing one flowchart (and thus only doing one revised flowchart in step 3...which doesn't necessarily have to be shorter, just better than step 2, however you define better in this case.)

You can't really turn a focus area into a process flow chart - they're really not the same thing. The flowchart will be inspired by the focus areas, but is not directly tied or linked to it. ||
 * Some of the explanations for each of the 7 fields are taking up a lot of space vertically. I would end up using more than one page to fit all 7 functions. My questions is in connecting on 2 seperate pages. Should i just tape them together and let the arrows continue in desired direction, or is there a better solution? || If it works better to lay out the focus areas on multiple sheets, feel free to do so. It can be a foldout. If you turn the whole thing into a PDF, Acrobat's good at compiling larger posters from individual 8.5 * 11" sheets. It's not a poster creation assignment, so if it's awkward but makes sense, that counts more than an elegantly designed poster that makes no sense. ||
 * Any recommendations on how to best format the 7 fields? I have them all typed out but it seems very difficult to set it up the way they have in the book, with borders and everything connecting, etc. Any suggestions? || Well, Illustrator's still the best for layout. In Word, make do with what you can - as long as it's logically consistent, it should be OK. Word's horrible at layout though. Office 2007 is better, but still limited. We'll be looking at other drawing programs as well tomorrow. ||  ||
 * How many pages should the write up be? Do we need to give an introduction of the job at hand? || 1-2 pages should do - no hard limit though. If you feel you need to explain the job, do it. ||  ||
 * How can we make more visible the changes in the revised flow chart? I changed the font color on some of the tasks that I thought needed changing. Would that be the right course of action? || Any colour/format changes should be logical - e.g., keep colours and formats consistent to function, not because you like red things every so often. There's no hard and fast rule beyond that, but consider that variation in colour or format should mean something and improve understanding, vs. mean nothing and confuse people. ||  ||
 * Do we require to hand it a hard copy? || Yes please - the Elara copy helps for backup and good if your charts are perhaps too big to be faithfully represented on paper. The paper copy need not be pretty - if you require a fold out chart that you have to cut and paste (literally) from multiple pages, that's OK. The aesthetics of presentation isn't the point - the logic is. ||
 * Can someone please help me define "constraints" and "issues", they seem to overlap for me. Isn't isues similar to challenges that the job has, which is the definition of constraints!? thanks || They're related somewhat, but consider constraints to be limitations or obstacles (e.g., conflicts with other task domains or roles, perhaps?) and issues to be more points of failure. You'll find processes that need to be fixed from either.

Also it can be possible to say constraints are limitation placed by the work tools or work enviroment but issues could be situations that arise with customers. Issues are not ongoing and could be resolved but contraints are ongoing unless a new method is discovered or a step is revised. ||
 * What is the marking scheme or break down for this assignment or how much is each part worth || Basically even importance betwen the UED/general analysis breakdown, and the choice of process to break down in flowcharts. The writeup is a lesser component - basically makes the whole thing make sense or not, so it's important, but not the core.

You will break this job down as follows: 1) Create user experience diagrams. You will need to outline a minimum of seven focus areas in full, and show how these focus areas are linked in practice. (10 marks) 2) Based on the analysis done above, you will likely discern that there are procedures and tasks that are not particularly effective and could be improved. Pick one and outline the problematic procedure using a flowchart (5 marks) 3) Now, create an improved version of the process outlined in step 2, also as a flowchart. (5 marks) 4) Conclude with a approximately 2 page (approx. 500 words) writeup that outlines and defends decisions made in the above three steps. (5 marks) || What are we saving our files as? || In a folder with your name, in Elizabeth LIttlejohn's Elara folder. ||  ||
 * Is the hard copy due in lecture or in tutorial? || We will be submitting a hard copy in labs and submitting it to Elara. ||
 * Where are we dumping the files in elara?


 * From Tutorial example, 7 Fields:
 * Purpose - Reason for task, overall purpose
 * Functions - What is involved? Why is this necessary?
 * Objects - Physical things involved with task
 * Links - Other steps involved (or other tasks or systems)
 * Constraints - Challenges, things that could go wrong (overall)
 * Issues - Specific issues
 * Roles - People involved