| This dissertation reports the design of a man-computer cooperative system for the management of logistics delay time. The major goals were selectivity of functions and operator-system interaction. An important secondary goal was the collection of an historical data base from which statistical inference could provide increasing automation and decreasing reliance upon human expert judgement.; The variables in operational availability are reliability, maintainability, administrative delay time, and logistics delay time. Prior efforts had been directed toward reliability and maintainability because improvements there were more readily measurable and confirmable. Control of logistics delay time is the major remaining problem in perfecting the Spares Support Logistics networks.; System design started with recognition and acceptance of the major complication of frequent need for ad hoc intervention of human judgement. This is manifested in the design by planned interrupts for prompted human action or decision. More importantly, the design recognizes that much of this need exists because of a lack of an adequate data base for automated decisions. The remaining action not previously attempted was the integration of the elements of the model into a system configuration that is practical. Research areas were installed equipment support (computer mainframes), mobile equipment support (commercial aircraft), and production line manufacturing.; The result has been the design and flowcharting of a system for the management of logistics delay time. There was no intent to provide a totally specified blueprint for an operational system. The intent is to establish concentrated and theoretical framework for integration of design parameters for creation, by others, of operational systems.; It is concluded that the proposed system will function within an environment of an on-line, interactive Logistics Management System to manage logistics delay time. Once a given level of product support is set by management policy, the system will function as one of the major elements toward meeting this goal. The system will also provide for internal and external measurement and audit, and for the accrual of the desired historical data base. Finally, it is shown that the system is both adaptable to and important to changing technology in products to be maintained. |
