Critical Task Analysis Starter Worksheet
Critical task analysis is strongest when it starts before a validation protocol is drafted. Early task review helps teams understand which user actions could lead to harm and which design controls need evidence.
Start critical task analysis before the protocol
A starter worksheet should capture the user group, use environment, task sequence, possible use errors, harm pathway, existing controls, and the evidence needed to show that the control works.
Teams often get stuck by trying to label criticality too early. Begin with a broad task inventory, then narrow the list by asking what could happen if a task is omitted, performed incorrectly, performed late, or misunderstood.
The worksheet should stay alive across formative studies. Each round of research can add observed use errors, revise assumptions, and sharpen the final validation scope.
- List tasks in the order users naturally encounter them
- Connect each potential use error to a credible harm pathway
- Separate design controls from training and labeling controls
- Track which assumptions have been confirmed through user research