Flight Crew Last 90 Days 60; Flight Crew Total 12000; Flight Crew Type 1200
Distraction; Situational Awareness; Workload; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Procedure; Human Factors
Approaching DEN we were given an arrival change.  As you know; the arrivals into DEN are complex RNAV arrivals.  During the arrival; a speed change was given while descending.  After the speed change was given; a subsequent runway change was given to an RNAV 35L.  After this runway change; another speed change was given on the RNAV arrival.  All these changes resulted in an enormous amount of heads down time for the pilot monitoring.  We were never able to get the RNAV 35 L briefed correctly or were we able to get it in the FMC before we were cleared for the approach due to all the changes that ATC was giving us.  Since it was VMC we reported the airport in sight and were cleared for the visual approach.  If it had been IMC; we would not have been able to accept an approach clearance due to how we were handled by ATC.  This is an ongoing problem in DEN.  The arrivals are very complex RNAV arrivals and ATC needs to know that late changes to the arrival; runway; or speed changes drastically increase our workload and create an unsafe condition.
Pilot reports of speed changes assigned by ATC not in compliance with what is on the arrival.  Also the pilot describes in the scenario late runway changes.