Introduction to Crew Resource Management — Page 336, Lesson 555

Alright, let's start a new topic. I want to walk you through the structured decision-making process known as DODAR. This is a core tool in Crew Resource Management, designed to help you handle problems in the cockpit systematically, especially when time is tight and the pressure is on. The name DODAR is an acronym, and each letter stands for a step. Let's go through them in order. First, D stands for Diagnosis. Your job here is to identify the most important or urgent problem. A key point to remember is that there may be more than one problem, and the most obvious one might not be the most serious. Use time and the crew to your advantage to figure out what's really going on. Next, O stands for Options. Once you've diagnosed the problem, consider all the information available to you. Then, define the options and the consequences of each possible course of action. A critical part of this step is to discuss the possibilities with the crew. Don't keep it in your head. Then, D stands for Decide. The final decision is made by the captain after considering the options and consequences of the possible courses of action. However, this isn't a rigid, one-time thing. If new information comes in or a flaw in the plan becomes apparent, the decisions made should be questioned. After that, A stands for Assign. Assign tasks to all concerned and use this to share the workload. In the case of a training aircraft, include the student in the decision. And don't forget that cabin crew, ATC, and others are also there and available to give assistance. Finally, R stands for Review. Continually ask yourself, "Have we missed something? Has the situation changed?" In other words, you must continually monitor the situation. Now, a very important point: although DODAR has five distinct steps, it is fundamentally a loop process. You don't just go through it once and stop. You keep cycling through it as the situation evolves. The decision-making exercise using DODAR shows you the benefit of a structured process, but it also highlights the complementary need for other human factors skills and a good questioning technique. Let's shift gears slightly to a different concept: Personality. The text uses a simple analogy. The physical act of picking up a pen and using it shows that we all have a left- or right-handed personal preference. We discussed that this preference may be stronger in some than in others. Many can use their other hand if necessary, but it will initially be less effective and can cause stress. However, practice with the other hand leads to improved efficiency. This is a basic illustration of how our natural preferences and learned behaviours interact.