Human factors operational test and evaluation (OT&E) at the function/characteristic level has not always provided an appropriate balance of addressing both the needs of the system user and the decisionmaker. System users are primarily concerned with the characteristics and capabilities of their system. Acquisition decision-makers, on the other hand, are more concerned with force structure and how potential military systems fit within the national military strategy. Human factors OT&E has traditionally considered the user of the system by testing human factors at a characteristic, rather than mission or operational task-level. In order to address the needs of the decision-maker, OT&E has adopted a strategy-to-task formulation that can have the undesirable side effect of decreasing the visibility of human factors test results. Because human factors measures are considered at the system function/characteristic level, significant human performance/human-machine interface issues are not always visible at the level of higher task elements and missions. Systems which require significant human-in-control or human-in-the-loop operability may lend themselves to consideration at the task-level. Testing human factors at the task-level within the strategy-to-task framework provides both the decision-maker and user with the necessary information to buy and properly operate the system.
