Developing a Working Model: - SMARTech
Contents
1. 13 SUMMARY SYSTEM ANALYSIS recisi eiii e e i raidan aaia a eiaa aai denean 14 SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT 15 MOWING INA GROVE pe coniare na raer a a a 16 Environmental Condit Ons niies 16 Maintenanc and Opkeep ii ascii asta ea heat Raven Adit bin 16 eh LH 17 JOHN DEERE 0430 PREMIUM soee2 E 17 Command 17 Application and Uses of 6000 85 0 19 Additional 19 SUMMARY SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT 20 GENERAL DISCUSSION 2 20 8 8 220 5 22 5 contin dua 22 APPENDIX wiscsiendctesdecdssasdevcvsacdeeeseeccavesencatveyuecasuehvecasesunacesesdut2. Inthe grove how do you decide what pattern of rows to mow Mowing If not you who determines the mowing pattern supervisor How does mowing work O O O O Beds and swales Which one follows which one 10ft and 15ft mowers People involved 26 GROVE SUPERVISOR QUESTIONS Background What are your job title and responsibilities What are you responsible for from day to day Who is your supervisor Someone you have to report to Who do you supervise How many people do you oversee Are there other grove managers at your level How is that different from other supervisors Who tells the mowing crew what to do What tractors does Devil s Garden Grove use for mowing What do they use most often Are any of these premium models Do you know if they come equipped with Command Centers How long has the mowing crew been using this tractor Are the same tractors used across groves do they vary by grove If they vary are there major differences between the tractors Do the tractors travel with the mowing crew Do you have experience operating the tractors used for mowing how often Who owns the tractors o Southern Gardens Citrus or Devil s Garden Grove Are members of the mowing crew employed by the Southern Gardens Citrus or Devil s Garden Grove How large 15 the mowing crew How does Southern Gardens Citrus or Devils Garden Grove See answer a
3. 15 Table 3 Sample Interview Questions Supervisor Manager Sales Training Customer Maintenance Questions Questions Questions Could you walk us How do you match the What are the most common through a typical day for product to the customer and problems with this model the mowing crew their needs How do the mowing crews How do customers learn to What are the most critical learn the safety use the tractor problems with this model information Who were the mowing What is the first thing you do How do you solve common crew trained by daily to start operation maintenance problems Mowing in a Grove Environmental Conditions The interviews focused on information concerning use of the tractor when mowing in a grove Information about the types of operators using the 6000 series tractors in grove mowing applications concerns and problems those operators might encounter while mowing and type of environments the 6000 series tractors would be operated in was collected from the interviews For example we learned that due to the specific environmental conditions of the grove certain problems that may be generally important extreme cold snow were not relevant to this particular mowing context Other factors more pertinent would be sandstorms and early morning fog Maintenance and Upkeep Recurrent problems and troubleshooting steps differed between dealers and the groves Many of the differences between the grove
4. e How do you match the product to the customer and their needs e What questions do you ask the customer to understand their needs Walkthrough e What is the most common tractor you sell For that tractor what model features do you emphasize Which features of this tractor do you have difficulty explaining What features are difficult for customers to understand What are common questions that customers ask Do you sell many 6430s How do your answers to the previous questions vary when thinking about the 6430 compared to other tractors Special Critical Features of the 6430 e What model features do customers really like e What are the primary tasks the 6430 used for e What can John Deere s 6430 do that other companies tractors cannot Customers e Who are your typical customers e How big are the farming operations How many tractors does a typical customer have on their property e Who buys what kinds of tractors e Do you interact directly with farm owners supervisors or tractor operators 15 this typically the same person who operates the tractor e How knowledgeable about tractors in general are they when they come in e How about for the 6430 model Post Sales Training e What happens after a customer purchases a tractor Is it delivered to the property Is there any kind of demonstration or training that occurs upon delivery How do customers learn to use the tractor Does this differ across tractors How much of the initial set
5. reason to include this added functionality the 6430 would function just fine without it Application and Uses of 6000 Series To better understand the themes of problems related to the 6430 we delved deeper into where the 6430 was being sold and who was using it The main applications of the 6000 series tractors in the areas we visited were for small vegetable or hay baling operations The larger operations such as row crops used larger tractors with bigger wheel bases and more horsepower Oftentimes the 6000 series tractor was used more as a towing vehicle than with any sort of PTO powered implement on the back Given the agricultural demographics of the areas we visited the lack of complex applications suited for the 6430 was another stated reason for the disuse of the advanced features of the Command Center These observations and themes relate to the SMEs currently interviewed for this project we do not wish to imply that the 6430 is only used in these applications Additional Insights There were also other comments about the Deere 6430 Premium such as the dislike of the placement of the gas cap the lack of a large fender and the lack of sun shade inside the cabin The added hydraulic power and more comfortable cab however were seen as good selling points The quick access buttons were seen as a good alternative to manual control and 19 the added lights and gas mileage were lauded The most positive comments we received however
6. Next Steps This report provides a summary of the product analysis the system analysis and the results of the subject matter expert interviews These analyses were used to develop the operator interviews which were conducted in April 2009 Those data are currently being analyzed and will provide detailed information about the cues used by the operators the information requirements and the communication processes critical for successful operations Specifically the operator interviews will enable us to provide detailed information about information requirements for mowing identify how operators plan and sequence tasks characterize use of cues and determine decision making process This assessment will provide guidance for development of autonomous systems as well as for redesign and training for current systems 22 APPENDIX SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT INTERVIEW SCRIPTS CUSTOMER QUESTIONS Background you tell us a little about what you do What operation application is the tractor used for How large is this application General use When did you purchase the 6430 What was it about the 6430 that made you decide to purchase it How does 6430 operate compared to previous tractors you have used those previous tractors all John Deere or other brands Are you the primary user of the tractor or is it usually used by your employees When you use this for X application walk us through your step by step process
7. also gathered information concerning the John Deere 6430 Premium series More specifically we identified two main themes about the Command Center First was the lack of general acceptance of the Command Center digital platform The Command Center was hard to market sell and understand for a variety of reasons The experts reported that the customers lacked a full understanding of the features and potential benefits of the Command Center 17 The interviews indicated that how the Command Center aids in the use of the tractor and why it might have benefits over the manual control models are not clearly understood This may be attributed to the difficulty in learning how to operate the system Compounding this issue the dealer personnel have a lack of training on the Command Center which translates to a lack of understanding of its functions and a hardship in conferring the usefulness of those functions to the customers These problems ranged from the very complicated not understanding how to operate the headland management system to the very simple confusion in how to set the clock or turn on the headlights Customers generally know what tractor they want to purchase before going to the dealership However they may not know what specific features they would want on the tractor It is important for the dealer to understand the needs of the customer to match the correct tractor with the correct features to the customer An inability of dealer
8. for using the tractor We want to you take us through a typical work day with this tractor o What is first thing you do daily with 6430 to start operation What implements are used Where are they stored How when are they hooked up What is the end of day procedure for shutting down the tractor and preparing it for storage Maintenance What are most common maintenance problems What is your regular maintenance schedule How do you solve common maintenance problems For your specific operation hay what maintenance problems could completely shut down operation Have you had any of these problems since you purchased the 6430 How often do these critical problems occur When if they do occur how are they problems resolved Training How did you learn how to use the 6430 How did your employees learn to use the 6430 How much did the Dealer help you learn to use the 6430 Do you wish you had received any additional information or instruction about the tractor Functionality you feel like you use most of the functions available on the 6430 Are there any functions that you wish the 6430 had there any functions on 6430 that do not work as you expected Ifyou were designing the perfect tractor for your needs what features and functions would you want it to have 23 DEALER QUESTIONS Sales Imagine Iam a customer what would you ask me e What are the first things you tell the customer
9. of the cues used by the operators the information requirements and the communication processes critical for successful operation This assessment will provide guidance for development of autonomous systems as well as for redesign and training for current systems This report provides a summary of the product analysis the system analysis and the results of the subject matter expert interviews These analyses were used to develop the operator interviews which were conducted in April 2009 Those data are currently being analyzed and will provide detailed information about cue use information requirements communication processes and task sequencing To accomplish our goal we used the knowledge engineering process One of the most important sources of information when designing a product is the users Users can provide valuable information regarding what a new product should do what it should look like and how it should work Information taken from users however is very difficult to analyze different users have different opinions experience with the product changes opinions on how to use it and methods for the users to report their likes and dislikes are often poorly prepared and controlled Knowledge engineering has been defined as a viable process to gather information from users it provides a structure and method in which the users comments and suggestions can be integrated into what is already known about the system design to provide bot
10. operation and the prescribed operation by the manuals and dealers came in the form of internal standards safety checklists and maintenance 16 routines The groves also had a different work culture where the importance of certain issues differed between operators and supervisors and supervisors and grove managers Training Deere amp Company exceeds other companies by the amount of after sales support they provide to customers In fact the after sale support was reported as one of the main reasons customers return to Deere amp Company dealerships for all of their tractor needs Oftentimes after a sale the customers receive information regarding the user manual general maintenance procedures and other critical information However the majority of the customers are not the actual operators of the tractor Dealers do not often interact with the actual operators It was reported that most operators of 6430 series and many other tractors never received any formal training Most learned how to operate a tractor from a family member or friend as a young child or by having to pick up the operation while on the job This lack of formal training could explain any differences we might find between the actions the manuals or supervisors suggest to take when driving the tractor and those actually taken by the tractor operators John Deere 6430 Premium Command Center In addition to receiving much information about the task of mowing in a grove we
11. up and programming of the tractor are you involved in What kinds of services or materials are available to help customers learn Does Deere provide materials they want you to use to train customers Who do you train operators supervises buyers etc When tractors are upgraded how do customers learn how to use them What training is needed if a customer transfers from one company to a John Deere tractor e How does this differ for the 6430 model Maintenance e What are the most common maintenance problems that customers report e What are the most critical maintenance problems that customers report Are some problems so critical that the tractor must be taken out of service 24 How do you solve the problem Probe If the answer is it depends what does it depend on Where are problems solved Do customers try to solve problems themselves or do they bring their tractor in to be fixed Is there a regular maintenance schedule How does this vary for the 6430 model Dealers How did you learn about these tractors and their functions What kind of training manuals seminars etc did you get about the tractors and their functions What kind of materials do the dealers get General information about the dealership o Size of tractors sold per year 25 GROVE MANAGER QUESTIONS Equipment What type of transmission are the tractors equipped with Is AutoSteer equipped in the tractors Getting ready to mow
12. were about Deere amp Company s commitment to service and support after sale Summary of Subject Matter Expert Interviews Concerning the overall goal of this project a major purpose of the subject matter expert interviews was to supplement our familiarization with product literature The current interviews offer an initial examination of what might affect system operation both negatively and positively The interviews conducted with individuals who focus on grove operations provided a way to check and edit the information we aggregated from previous sources These interviews also allowed us to focus on certain confusing aspects of the operations at the grove so that those aspects could be explained and placed into the correct context of the entire system The interviews with people who sell and maintain the tractor provided a wealth of information about the current state of the John Deere 6430 in context Those interviews provided information about who buys the tractors what the tractors are used for common issues concerning the tractor and what the best features seem to be Both at the grove and tractor levels the subject matter expert interviews identified the best working aspects of the system but also possible realms of improvement All the information gathered here is critical for completing the Knowledge Engineering process GENERAL DISCUSSION Although developing a working model is only one phase of the Knowledge Engineering process
13. Developing a Working Model Interim Report of Grove Mowing Operations Technical Report HFA TR 0902 Atlanta GA Georgia Institute of Technology School of Psychology Human Factors and Aging Lab April 2009 Ralph H Cullen Daniel Serrano Baquero Jenay M Beer Sara E McBride Cory Ann Smarr Wendy A Rogers amp Arthur D Fisk TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMA V stcaseds catitedsiedeecadatstecssdabeuscensacenssanceacestasensatouseasediasesvabensessevaneesacuencees 4 INTRODUCTION A 6 ESTABLISH KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING 5 8 FAMILIARIZATION WITH PRODUCT 4 4 44 2 2 9 GROVE LEVEL 9 TRACTOR LEVEL 10 SUMMARY OF DOCUMENTATION REVIEW 11 02 TTTS 11 STAKEHOLDERS coiii cesta fangs teen cecvevacacueueagaduotbagavashesgevesttegussvsdagesvendeqvsvabicesdlesseeesdateedsdacdeeeevacceveoeunadaveuads 11 ENVIRONMENT 12
14. Ifso what has the feedback been How is that related back to marketing What do you do with that information What ways does marketing communicate to or interact with customers If they receive direct feedback ask What do customers like and dislike about the 6430 premium How did you learn about how the 6430 premium works and what its functionality is Do you wish you had more information about the 6430 premium 30 AUTHOR NOTE This research was supported in part by contributions from Deere amp Company We thank Josh Hoffman and Jerry Duncan for their support and advice on this research We also appreciate the efforts of Anne Adams and Sarah Felipe in developing the task lists For more information about this project please contact Wendy A Rogers at wendy gatech edu 31
15. bove hire the mowing crew o What are the nationalities of the mowing crew Are they primarily from Central America South America etc What is their primary language What language do they speak on job What language do the supervisors use when interacting with the mowing crew e How do the supervisors and mowing crew communicate e Is language a barrier to training or instructing the mowing crew What is the range of age of your mowing crew What is the average age of your mowing crew What is the most common level of education your mowing crew has What is the range in education level What is the turnover rate for your mowing crew What is the average level of experience held by the mowing crew How long is the average workday How many hours are spent mowing How many days hours a week OO 27 depends on season what are their high or busy seasons How does someone become a member of the mowing crew Are they hired to be a part of the mowing crew externally or do you hire someone that was employed in another area in Devil s Garden Grove Tf it depends what does it depend What is the current status of your mowing crew in these terms How many are new hires and how many came from different tasks What do you do if one of the mowing crew doesn t show up Who fills that spot How many times a year does Devil s Garden get mowed What months General use
16. coessubacsesunaccussdusecevstustced4setecedusndaceduaves covsnnes 23 AUTHOR NOTE 31 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The goal of this project is to develop an in depth understanding of knowledge skills and operations required for mowing in orange groves The objectives are to provide an assessment of the cues used by the operators the information requirements and the communication processes critical for successful operation This assessment will provide guidance for development of autonomous systems as well as for redesign and training for current systems Our approach to this evaluation is a knowledge engineering study of a John Deere 6000 series utility tractor in grove mowing application specifically the 6615 and the 6430 Premium utility tractors By using the knowledge engineering process we will understand the knowledge of system users in the context of the operational environment Knowledge refers to the general information that users have about the system their methods and procedures for using the system and the information in the environment that they rely on to use the system safely efficiently and effectively As such the knowledge engineering process can be used to improve existing systems to develop better training and instructional materials to identify usability problems to understand user needs and preferences and to guide the development of future systems e g by automating fun
17. ctions currently performed by humans Overview of our Approach The necessary first step of the knowledge engineering process is to create a working model of the system which involves developing a detailed understanding of the design and operation of the current machine This information provides the basis for the development of structured interviews to elicit knowledge from operators Review available documentation We first reviewed the product literature pertaining specifically to the tractors as well as information about the grove context in which the mowing takes place Materials included the manuals product specification sheets grove descriptions tractor illustrations and grove pictures The grove literature provided information about mowing operations in that context and an overview of the factors that affect mowing The tractor documentation provided details about the functioning of the tractors how each tractor was operated what each tractor could do and differences between the two models Conduct system analysis We conducted a system analysis wherein we identified major components of the mowing application including major stakeholders environmental factors and system tasks The interests of the stakeholders were identified to determine system expectations Environmental factors were considerations that might influence tractor operation during mowing e g ground stability presence of obstacles Tasks were divided into gr
18. ctor How often do these critical problems occur When if they do occur how are they problems resolved 29 DEERE MARKETING QUESTIONS Job title Responsibilities How long have you worked in Deere marketing We want to understand how Deere markets the 6430 premium What features does Deere highlight when marketing the 6430 premium Are there aspects of the 6430 premium that you have had difficulty marketing For example were any features or functions difficult to explain to dealers or customers How did Deere decide what features to highlight What can the John Deere 6430 premium do that other companies tractors cannot How is this tractor different or better than other Deere tractors What role do other departments play in the marketing process Do you market the 6430 premium to specific farming applications Ifso what Does marketing communicate with customers dealers or both Probe If only dealers are mentioned then ask about customers Probe If only customers are mentioned then ask about the dealers What other kinds of marketing activities is Deere involved in Do you use trade shows expos websites etc Do you use marketing surveys How do you inform dealers about the 6430 premium What information or materials do you provide them Who prepares those marketing materials Who prepares the instructional materials or manuals Do you receive feedback on the 6430 premium from dealers
19. ctronic support for further developments down the line Therefore the John Deere 6430 Premium model tractor was also analyzed The 6430 has increased technological functionality and there are applications and extensions of that technology in the future product development We gained an understanding of both tractor models operation including driving and operating the implements For the 6430 Premium special care was given to understanding the intricacies of the Command Center module Differences in operation between the two Figure 2 Sample cataloguing of display icons 10 models were identified All displays and controls in each model were identified and labeled see Figure 2 for an example We are preparing a detailed usability assessment of the 6430 Premium including the Command Center module which will be available in a separate report Summary of Documentation Review An analysis of the grove documentation provided an understanding of the environmental and physical context in which mowing takes place Reviewing the tractor literature for both the 6615 and 6430 tractors supported our understanding of how operators might perform the task of mowing using these tractors including the information they must process as well as the actions they must take By incorporating these two sets of knowledge we were able to ask the subject matter experts more specific questions about how each tractor would accomplish the task of mowing
20. d upkeep and therefore less consumption of capital The operators have the more immediate goals of completing the requisite mowing minimizing accidents and injuries in the process A 2 Deere amp Company gt A and Dealers Provide Quality Provide Support Farmers Supervisors Ensure Efficiency N Ensure Consistency Operators Achieve Mowing Goals Minimize Accidents Injury Remain Alert Comfort Figure 3 The shareholders and their interests and goals Environment The operational environment refers to the context and physical space in which the mowing task would take place Table 1 shows the identified environmental factors 12 Documentation about locations and conditions in the grove as well as pictures of the grove and surrounding areas revealed that the mowing task occurs in a variety of situations which are affected by different sets of environmental factors Each factor affects the expected performance or outcome of certain parts of the mowing task For example at the tractor level rain fog or night mowing conditions would lower the visibility of the operator changing the way that operator had to mow to avoid making mistakes These factors can also affect the mowing operation at the grove level certain conditions affect how routes and tractors or assigned and even whether or not mowing will happen on that particular day Table 1 Envi
21. f Technology School of Psychology Human Factors and Aging Laboratory The second phase Develop a Working Model centers on gathering the background information of the system At the end of this phase it is critical for the project team to be extremely knowledgeable concerning the original system and problem space in which the evaluation will focus This report focuses primarily on these first two phase of the knowledge engineering study of the grove mowing operation We briefly summarize the knowledge engineering goals established by the Deere amp Company and Georgia Tech personnel We then provide a summary of the product analysis the system analysis and the results of the subject matter expert interviews We analyzed the mowing application of two models of the John Deere 6000 Series the 6615 and the 6430 Premium utility tractors These analyses were used to develop the operator interviews which were conducted in April 2009 The interview data are being analyzed and will be presented in the final report in the context of the remaining phases of the knowledge engineering process Knowledge Elicitation and Structuring the Knowledge ESTABLISH KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING GOALS The goal of this project is to develop an in depth understanding of the operations involved in the use of tractors in orange groves The objectives are to provide an assessment of the cues used by the operators the information requirements and the communication processes c
22. h constructive feedback on problems with the system and an action plan going forward to inform future design A detailed description of the knowledge engineering process can be found in Bowles Sanchez Fisk and Rogers 2004 1 Figure 1 provides an overview of knowledge engineering process Establish Construct the Test Knowledge Familiarization with Product Literature Instruments Engineering Goals Knowledge Subject Matter Extraction Expert Interviews Tools Detailed Task Analysis Analyze and Interpret the Data Develop a Extract Structure Working Model Knowledge Knowledge Figure 1 Overview of the Knowledge Engineering Process from Bowles et al 2004 We divide knowledge engineering into four major phases The first phase Establish Knowledge Engineering Goals focuses directly on specifying the purpose of the knowledge engineering product In this phase we define the system in question and develop the goals for informing or improving that system It is important to note that in the context of knowledge engineering the system refers to both the human operator and the machine This approach where the two are considered as a whole allows for the optimization of the whole system and not just one part at the expense of the other Bowles C T Sanchez J Fisk A D amp Rogers W A 2004 A primer for knowledge engineering HFA TR 0402 Atlanta GA Georgia Institute o
23. if 6430 not used then say tractor ask only if he supervises the day to day activities of the mowing crew Could you walk us through a typical day for the mowing crew o What is first thing the mowing crew does to start their day What implements are used ask only if time allows Where are they stored How when they hooked up What is the end of day procedure for shutting down the tractor and preparing it for storage If you were designing the perfect tractor for your needs what features and functions would you want it to have ask only if time allows Functionality questions for 6430 ONLY Do you feel like you use most of the functions available on the 6430 Are there any functions that you wish 6430 had o Are there any functions on the 6430 that do not work as you expected Training e Manager training ask only if him about his learning only if operates the mowing tractor How did you learn how to use the mowing tractor Who taught you how to use the mowing tractor Did a dealer help you learn Do you wish you had received any additional information or instruction about the tractor What were you trained to do with the mowing tractor Probe What features were you trained on Probe If not mentioned ask about Command Center If they do use the Command Center Who programs it What features do you actually use Mowing Crew training How did your mowing crew learn to use
24. in a grove application SYSTEM ANALYSIS We analyzed the human machine system 6615 and 6430 Premium tractors within a grove mowing work context This analysis allowed us to gain understanding about stakeholders and their expectations mowing tasks and environmental factors involved in a mowing application Stakeholders The stakeholders in a system are all the individuals who interact with and are affected by the activities carried out in the system in this case the activities carried out in a mowing application Identifying the stakeholders and their goals in a system allowed us to identify what the success and quality criteria were for the system The identified system stakeholders and their 11 goals are outlined in Figure 3 For the system to operate at an optimal level Deere amp Company and its dealers are most interested in providing quality in their products and support to help throughout the life of those products although note that all the lower level goals are also presumed to be relevant to Deere amp Company The farmers and supervisors are most interested in efficiency and consistency as these two variables translate most directly to cost and profit Efficiency and consistency refer to both operators using the tractors to mow the grove and the tractors themselves removal of either or both will occur if a more cost effective solution is available An efficient and consistent operation also requires the least maintenance an
25. it is useful tool in and of itself At the beginning of this process the goal was to understand how the mowing process worked At the end of the process there were three 20 products that all serve an important purpose not only to carrying out the latter phases of Knowledge Engineering but as a resource for any further instances of the mowing application Together the literature review systems analysis and subject matter expert interviews create a detailed picture of how the current system works The familiarization with product literature successfully gave the team a general idea of the scope and components of the system This led to an understanding of what the system included the major players in the system both human and machine pictures and diagrams of the machines and environments in the system and what parts of the system needed further analysis This knowledge guided the system analysis and subject matter expert interviews by informing the team about the entire human machine system The system analysis focused around the two realms defined in the literature review the grove level and the tractor level In each level three different components were identified the stakeholders the environmental factors and specific tasks The results of the system analysis are summarized in Figure 3 and Tables 1 and 2 With the system analysis finished it is easier to compare data from different users or to compare new systems to the curre
26. nt state of the system The system analysis also helps to develop the questions and focus areas of the subject matter interviews The subject matter expert interviews supplemented the information obtained from the literature review and system analysis The interviewees validated refined and in some cases corrected that information with their knowledge of the current system The interviews also added information regarding how certain tasks were performed how environmental stressors affected the tractor or mowing and how operator training affected task procedures 21 Key Results The key outcomes of this phase of the Knowledge Engineering analysis of a mowing application of the John Deere 6000 Series are Many factors influence the way a tractor is used 1 tasks environment stakeholders concerns These factors must be considered to fully understand the human machine system e The three different types of stakeholders Deere amp Company and its dealers owners and supervisors and operators have different specific motivations but still share the same overarching interests of high quality and performance in a tractor After sales support was reported as an important reason customers return to Deere dealerships for all of their tractor needs e In general it is more probable than not that the digital platform of the 6430 tractor the Command Center is not well understood by users which leads to its underutilization
27. ove level tasks e g determine tractor route tasks internal to the tractor e g steering and tasks external to the tractor e g attach implement These analyses were used to create scripts for the subject matter expert interviews Subject matter experts were drawn from the following categories dealers marketing specialists tractor owners operators and grove supervisors These individuals were interviewed to gather detailed information about the 6615 and the 6430 Premium utility tractors and their operation The focus of the interviews was on the functions of the tractors that were highlighted during marketing and sales positive and negative characteristics of the tractor from the perspective of the owner operator the nature of the mowing task within the grove and the characteristics of typical operators This report provides a summary of the product analysis the system analysis and the results of the subject matter expert interviews These analyses were used to develop the operator interviews which were conducted in April 2009 Those data are currently being analyzed and will provide detailed information about the cues used by the operators the information requirements and the communication processes critical for successful operations INTRODUCTION The goal of this project is to develop an in depth understanding of knowledge skills and operations required for mowing in orange groves The objectives are to provide an assessment
28. pert interviews We selected individuals to represent the different categories of stakeholders and based on their understanding of different parts of the system During two dealer visits we interviewed the following subject matter experts two dealer sales representatives a dealer technology expert a dealer maintenance expert an owner operator and two employees of an owner operator We also conducted telephone interviews with a grove manager a grove supervisor and a Deere marketing specialist All interviews were conducted orally with notes taken concurrently by the interviewers The conversations focused on the John Deere 6000 tractor series The questions asked to all experts came from lists created before the interviews These lists are provided in the Appendix with samples provided in Table 3 Each interview began with open questions meant to elicit discussion and to build a rapport with the experts As the interview proceeded we asked questions that were more specific to clarify points made by the expert to elicit elaboration on a topic or elicit further discussion The analysis and conclusions drawn from the interviews of the subject matter experts are reported as general themes These themes represent common topics or ideas observed across multiple interviews The themes are derived from a bottom up coding coding based on the words and phrases the expert used not on which questions the expert was answering of the combined interviews
29. repare tractor implement implement conditions wheel steer from for storage Evaluate grove Maintain change speed Store tractor implement conditions accelerate decelerate brake Evaluate Maintain change direction Attach detach implement environmental reverse conditions Determine tractor Adjust environmental Enter exit tractor route conditions open window AC Evaluate operator Perform pre driving check Pull implement performance Monitor sensory feedback auditory tactile olfactory etc Open close door window View implement View amp avoid obstacles Store Retrieve food cell phone laptop etc Fuel tractor Adjust hydraulic system Perform pre driving check Monitor engine settings Perform routine maintenance Monitor fuel consumption Perform need based maintenance Engage disengage PTO View street equipment obstacles Shift Monitor external feedback Summary of System Analysis The primary outcomes of the system analysis were identification of the stakeholders and their goals the important environmental factors to consider and an initial list of the primary 14 tasks relevant to the context of mowing in orange groves These findings provided the basis for the development of the subject matter expert interviews SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT INTERVIEWS We used the outcome of the system analysis with the product and grove literature reviews to develop the subject matter ex
30. ritical for successful operation This assessment will provide guidance for development of autonomous systems as well as for redesign and training for current systems This context provided the basis for the knowledge engineering goals for this study After review of the problem space we decided to first focus on the general task of mowing in orange groves The next step will focus on spraying which consists of different specific task operations Moreover we decided to focus on a class of orange groves fairly large 8 size located in the Southeast Additional research will be needed to determine the generalizability of the present findings across use contexts FAMILIARIZATION WITH PRODUCT LITERATURE Familiarization with product literature has two purposes First it identifies possible sources of data for the system analysis Together with the in depth system analysis the familiarization with product literature forms the foundation for the questions and conversations of the subject matter expert interviews Second it informs the knowledge engineering team about the system Obviously without a working knowledge of all parts of the system the team will have difficulty progressing through the system analysis For this project we reviewed the literature available for both the grove and the tractor as related to the mowing application Thus we divided our review into grove level literature and tractor level literature Grove Level Litera
31. ronmental Factors Affecting Mowing Factor Considerations Ground material Concrete street dirt or sand Ground stability Firm or loose Incline Flat or sloped Light Day or night Navigation Forward backwards sharp turns Obstacles Animals people rocks water pumps equipment Temperature Hot or cold Type of row Bed or swale View Clear or fog sand spray Weather conditions Windy or calm rain or sunshine Tasks Tasks are specific actions taken to accomplish the goal of mowing Tasks were identified according to three categories grove level tasks tasks internal to the tractor and tasks external to the tractor see Table 2 This list is not exhaustive rather it provides an initial understanding of the range of tasks performed by the system The tractor level tasks were organized into internal and external tasks depending on where the interaction took place internal or external of the cab 13 This distinction does not refer to the location of the operator rather it describes the focal point of the task For example the external task of checking the environment is performed both inside and outside of the cab but the focus is on stimuli outside the cab Table 2 Initial Set of Tasks Grove Level Tasks Internal Tractor Level Tasks External Tractor Level Tasks Determine daily Start stop motor Get tractor implement from mowing goals storage Evaluate tractor and Adjust turn steering P
32. s to explain the functionality of the Command Center makes it harder to promote its benefits to customers However in general the dealers and customers seemed to prefer simple tractors to the more complex ones going so far as to laud Deere amp Company s new base model selections as preferable over the more technologically advanced options as a step in the right direction Other added benefits and functionality of the premium model are emphasized or marketed e g improved hydraulics transmission options ergonomic features of the upgraded cab to sell the 6430 Premium series over the base model often ignoring or glossing over the Command Center General comments by several SMEs such as John Deere is becoming too technologically advanced or too far ahead highlighted the common discomfort surrounding the application of new technology to tractors such as the 6430 Premium Command Center 18 The second common theme related to the John Deere 6430 Command Center was the general view that the added functionality the Command Center provided was not needed given the specified size and applications for which the 6430 was suited This echoes the sentiment mentioned earlier that a utility tractor with the wheel base and horsepower of the 6000 series would not be suited for any job that would require the level of digitalization that the Command Center provided The feeling prevailed that although larger tractors and farming implements had
33. the mowing tractor Is it a single day session Does this vary by experience level of the mowing crew What level experience do you look for when hiring mowing crew members word this question according the earlier questions based on hiring criteria 28 Who were your mowing crew trained by What was your mowing crew trained to do with the mowing tractor Probe What features were they trained on o Probe If not mentioned ask about Command Center What features does your mowing crew actually use If not mentioned ask about the Command Center Safety questions o Are there standard safety protocols or procedures related to mowing tractor operation How the mowing crews learn this safety information Who s in charge of monitoring safety related issues Maintenance Ifthe tractor breaks what is your procedure to ensure that the problem does not occur again If their answer is more in terms of fixing the tractor ask Well what happens to the mowing crew or supervisors Ifthe problem occurred because of mowing crew misuse what happens to mowing crew Is there a monetary penalty What are most common maintenance problems What is your regular maintenance schedule How do you solve common maintenance problems For your specific operation what maintenance problems could completely shut down operation Have you had any of these problems since you purchased the mowing tra
34. ture We reviewed various materials to understand the groves including aerial grove maps pictures of grove rows and buildings descriptions of grove dynamics and equipment schematics of grove blocks and rows and articles pertaining to mowing in a grove Grove mowing is complex task involving a series of machine operator teams working simultaneously throughout the year Mowing is important to allow efficient fertilizer spraying and to make harvesting easier on the grove workers Managers and supervisors must plan placement of each tractor operator team to ensure grass is maintained at an acceptable level Operators have to deal with varying stimuli including different types of rows environmental conditions and obstacles Understanding the dynamics of the environment in which the mowing application takes place is critical This knowledge guided many of our questions to subject matter experts concerning the capabilities and limitations of the tractor specifically in the work context of the grove Tractor Level Literature To attain information concerning the capabilities and limitations of the tractor we examined the tractor specifications and manuals provided by Deere amp Company Two models of tractor were analyzed To understand exactly what operators see hear and do as they mow within a grove we analyzed the John Deere 6615 model tractor This tractor however is not only discontinued in the Deere product line but also lacks the ele
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search