Oh My, Where Is the End of the Context? Dealing with Information in a Highly Complex Environment

This paper reports on the preliminary results of a study in information production, transmission, access and use in aerospace manufacturing and maintenance. Multiple techniques were used in order to understand the context in which the information flow takes place. The complexity is such that after several meetings with users the full picture is not fully detailed yet. Previously unknown documents, user roles and tasks continue to emerge while the study progresses. The conclusion is that an iterative approach should be adopted when studying highly complex environments: starting from the broadest view, each cycle progressively focuses on a sub-context to identify important details. Researchers should also keep an open mind as unexpected findings are likely to impacts on the current understanding, i.e. discovering the importance of social networks or physical inspection of the hardware as means to access information.