Shift Changes, Updates, and the On-Call Model in Space Shuttle Mission Control

Abstract

There has been a transition in many supervisory control domains from continuous monitoring to minimizing staffing until a problem arises. The key to making this “on-call” model effective is to understand how to bring practitioners up to speed quickly when they are called in. A field study was conducted to investigate what it means to update a supervisory controller on the status of a continuous, anomaly-driven process in a complex, distributed environment. Sixteen shift changes, or handovers, were observed during an anomalous space shuttle mission. Handover updates included descriptions of events that had occurred, ongoing activities, results of data analyses, and changes to mission plans. The controllers engaged in intense, interactive briefings that highlighted what the incoming controller needed to review more deeply following the update. Interrogation strategies were employed by the incoming controllers. Implications for organizational investments and the design of tools to support updates are discussed.