NOTECHS is a system used to assess the non-technical (social and cognitive) skills of crew members in the aviation industry. Introduced in the late 1990's, the system has been widely used by airlines during crew selection process, picking out individuals who possess capable skills that are not directly related to aircraft controls or systems. In aviation, 70 percent of all accidents are induced from pilot error, lack of communication and decision making being two contributing factors to these accidents. NOTECHS assess and provide feedback on the performance of pilots' social and cognitive skills to help minimize pilot error and enhance safety in the future. NOTECHS system also aims to improve the Crew Resource Management training system.
Contents
Structure of NOTECHS
Two main non-technical skills that transfer to the aircraft are social and cognitive skills. Social skills are behaviors mostly done verbally through communication, allowing crew members to discuss possible conflicts and work together to resolve problems. It heavily emphasizes teamwork, a critical component for an effective operation of aircraft which impacts aviation safety. Examples of communication between crew members include acknowledging commands, conducting briefings, and conveying information, all essential components for a safe and efficient flight. The Federal Aviation Administration also announced that important areas of communication improvements include pre-flight briefings,and landing procedures. Cognitive skills are mental processes occurred for gaining situation awareness and selecting decisions, it includes tasks such as planning, prioritizing and decision making. This set of skill cannot be observed directly, but it can be inferred by examiners when pilot state a decision, an option has taken place. A pilot with a strong cognitive mind is more proficient in emergency situations, having a bigger mental capacity to assess the situation and monitor progression on goals. The framework for NOTECHS is divided into three different levels.
- Category
- Element
- Behavior Marker
Category
Social and Cognitive skills are the main non-technical skills evaluated. Both can be broken down into four different categories:
Element
Elements are subset of a category. For example, the elements under Co-operation are: Team-building and maintaining, Considering Others, Supporting others, and Conflict Solving. All these elements tie in with the theme of being a group, communicating and cooperating as a team. The test subjects are evaluated in the following elements:
Behavior marker
NOTECHS system added the behavior markers under each element in order to "assist the examiner to describe the observed behavior in standardized and objective phraseology" It gives an indication whether a specific action in accordance to the element projects a positive or a negative impact in the overall skill.
Rating system
Individuals rated through NOTECHS are given feedback on their skill performance. The results provide an indication on which categories they thrive in, and sections that need improvements. Members are evaluated in each structure element and given a rating on a five point scale. The scale ranges from very good, good, acceptable, poor, very poor. In addition, a final overall rating is required in each element, indicating whether it was acceptable or unacceptable.
To ensure crew members are given fair and non-accidental evaluation, the Joint Aviation Authorities implemented five operating rules to follow while using the NOTECHS for assessment.
- Only observable behavior is to be assessed: A crew members' personality or emotional attitudes are ignored during the evaluation, and only visible behavior is recorded.
- Need for Technical Consequence: To receive an unacceptable rating on a non technical skill, the flight safety must be compromised in relation to "Objective technical consequence."
- Acceptable or Unacceptable rating required: In a situation where an examiner is ambiguous with the results of an element, a two point rating system: ACCEPTABLE or UNACCEPTABLE, is given to finalize the test without any confusion
- Repetition required: Showing of unacceptable behavior will lead the examiner to conduct multiple tries of the same skill test to verify it was not accidental. Repetition helps to conclude if there is a significant problem in a certain skill
- Explanation required: For each skill given an unacceptable rating, the examiner must state why it was deemed unacceptable and how safety could have been compromised in the short and long term. A detailed explanation is helpful because it pinpoints out the specific mistakes occurred.
Usage and relation to Crew Resource Management
As an assessment tool, NOTECHS system is heavily used to evaluate crew resource management performance. CRM is designed to teach pilots about cognitive and interpersonal skills for an effective, safe flight; NOTECHS underlay as a standard guideline for crew members to follow. As NOTECHS evaluation system is based on standardized conditions of acceptable skills and behaviors organized by practitioners, it aims to improve by whether the provided guidance actually enhances the performance of crew members in the work environment.