Thanks td. My uncertainty is if Forkner was employed as a test pilot, thence which chain of command he was in, and from that, for which area of certification / operational support (FAR 25 / 121) he held responsibilities.
I assume that a test team would develop and approve a system (AR), a support team would evaluate a system re training required and manuals.
Which department in the FAA would Forkner liaise with, test certification or operational approval. If test certification then the FAA should have known about the system and the latest changes, if operations, then Forkner could have briefed the FAA to the best of his knowledge, which subsequently was identified as erroneous.
With hindsight it appears that neither of the Boeing teams had appropriate descriptions - common understanding of the system as proposed, also that the test aircraft and development simulator differed.