Human factors integration
Encyclopedia
Human Factors Integration (HFI) is the process adopted by a number of key industries (notably defence and hazardous industries like oil & gas) in Europe to integrate human factors
elements into the systems engineering
process. Although each industry has a slightly different domain the underlying approach is the same.
In essence tries to reconcile the top down
nature of system engineering with the iterative nature of a user centred design
approach (ISO 13407). It often does this by creating a Human Factors Integration Plan (HFIP) that sits alongside the system development plan
. The purpose of the HFIP is to define how the Human Factors Engineering activities necessary for the successful delivery of a particular system will be conducted.
It establishes the guiding principles to be followed by the project to implement the best-practice Human Factors methods. As well as the principles involved, the Plan normally describes the organisation, processes and controls necessary over the entire life cycle
of the system from the concept phase through to decommissioning.
HFI undertakes this by conducting a formal process that identifies and reconciles human related issues. These issues are split for convenience into domains. Huw Walters defined these as;
Manpower
- The number of military and civilian personnel required and potentially available to operate, maintain, sustain and provide training for systems
Personnel - The cognitive and physical capabilities required to be able to train for, operate, maintain and sustain systems.
Training - The instruction or education, and on-the-job or unit training required to provide personnel their essential job skills, knowledge, values and attributes.
Human Factors Engineering - The integration of human characteristics into system definition, design, development, and evaluation to optimise human-machine performance under operational conditions.
Health Hazard Assessment - Short or long term hazards to health occurring as a result of normal operation of the system.
System safety
- Safety risks occurring when the system is functioning in an abnormal manner.
Some industries also include habitability as a separate domain.
The HFI plan scope defines the relationship between all the activities and the Human Factors domains and provides a systematic approach to ensure that:
Human factors
Human factors science or human factors technologies is a multidisciplinary field incorporating contributions from psychology, engineering, industrial design, statistics, operations research and anthropometry...
elements into the systems engineering
Systems engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how complex engineering projects should be designed and managed over the life cycle of the project. Issues such as logistics, the coordination of different teams, and automatic control of machinery become more...
process. Although each industry has a slightly different domain the underlying approach is the same.
In essence tries to reconcile the top down
Top-down and bottom-up design
Top–down and bottom–up are strategies of information processing and knowledge ordering, mostly involving software, but also other humanistic and scientific theories . In practice, they can be seen as a style of thinking and teaching...
nature of system engineering with the iterative nature of a user centred design
User-centered design
In broad terms, user-centered design or pervasive usability is a design philosophy and a process in which the needs, wants, and limitations of end users of a product are given extensive attention at each stage of the design process...
approach (ISO 13407). It often does this by creating a Human Factors Integration Plan (HFIP) that sits alongside the system development plan
Development Plan
A development plan is an aspect of town and country planning in the United Kingdom comprising a set of documents that set out the local authority's policies and proposals for the development and use of land in their area...
. The purpose of the HFIP is to define how the Human Factors Engineering activities necessary for the successful delivery of a particular system will be conducted.
It establishes the guiding principles to be followed by the project to implement the best-practice Human Factors methods. As well as the principles involved, the Plan normally describes the organisation, processes and controls necessary over the entire life cycle
Enterprise Life Cycle
Enterprise Life Cycle in enterprise architecture is the dynamic, iterative process of changing the enterprise over time by incorporating new business processes, new technology, and new capabilities, as well as maintenance, disposition and disposal of existing elements of the enterprise.- Overview...
of the system from the concept phase through to decommissioning.
HFI undertakes this by conducting a formal process that identifies and reconciles human related issues. These issues are split for convenience into domains. Huw Walters defined these as;
Manpower
Manpower
Manpower may refer to:*Human resourcesOrganizations:*Manpower Inc., an international employment agency, headquartered in the United States*Manpower Incorporated, a criminal enterprise in the Honor Harrington science fiction series...
- The number of military and civilian personnel required and potentially available to operate, maintain, sustain and provide training for systems
Personnel - The cognitive and physical capabilities required to be able to train for, operate, maintain and sustain systems.
Training - The instruction or education, and on-the-job or unit training required to provide personnel their essential job skills, knowledge, values and attributes.
Human Factors Engineering - The integration of human characteristics into system definition, design, development, and evaluation to optimise human-machine performance under operational conditions.
Health Hazard Assessment - Short or long term hazards to health occurring as a result of normal operation of the system.
System safety
System safety
The system safety concept calls for a risk management strategy based on identification, analysis of hazards and application of remedial controls using a systems-based approach...
- Safety risks occurring when the system is functioning in an abnormal manner.
Some industries also include habitability as a separate domain.
The HFI plan scope defines the relationship between all the activities and the Human Factors domains and provides a systematic approach to ensure that:
- The human role in the system is defined to optimise human performance in relation to the core system architectureSystems architectureA system architecture or systems architecture is the conceptual model that defines the structure, behavior, and more views of a system.An architecture description is a formal description and representation of a system, organized in a way that supports reasoning about the structure of the system...
and ancillary equipment. - Adequate human-equipment analyses and trade-offTrade-offA trade-off is a situation that involves losing one quality or aspect of something in return for gaining another quality or aspect...
studies are performed, revisiting the assumptions throughout the system life cycle. The process is iterative. As the programme progresses, the HF activities involve greater depth of analysis. - Biomedical analysis and design support includes the environmental protectionEnvironmental movementThe environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
necessary to promote health and safety, and the capability for safe operation and maintenance of the core architecture and ancillary equipment. - Training characteristics (materials, environment, evaluation criteria, etc.) for system personnel are identified.
- System testingSystem testingSystem testing of software or hardware is testing conducted on a complete, integrated system to evaluate the system's compliance with its specified requirements. System testing falls within the scope of black box testing, and as such, should require no knowledge of the inner design of the code or...
and evaluation is conducted to verify that users can safely and effectively operate, maintain and support equipment in its intended environment. - The design meets agreed operational performance standards and where this is not the case, to modify the design or associated training in such a way that the resultant manned system meets the required standards.
External links
- Human Factors Integration Defence Technology Centre
- UK Ministry of Defence Policy, information and guidance on the HFI aspects of UK MOD Defence Acquisition, part of the MOD's Acquisition Operating Framework (AoF).
- MANPRINT