Introducing a Subject Matter Expert–Based Utility Analysis Approach to Assessing the Utility of Organizational Interventions Such as Crew Resource Management Training

Utility analysis is a series of statistical procedures used to quantify the fiscal gains accrued from implementing human resource management interventions (e.g., training programs) over their associated costs. Although empirical evaluation studies are typically used to generate the required utility parameters, particular circumstances might make it difficult if not impossible to conduct such studies. In response to situations where it is not possible to conduct formal empirical evaluation studies, we present a subject matter expert (SME)-based approach to implementing utility analysis-based evaluations using a crew resource management (CRM) case study in commercial aviation as an illustrative example. The SME-based approach was effective in generating utility estimates when traditional methods of utility analyses were not feasible.