Human systems integration


Human systems integration is an interdisciplinary managerial and technical approach to developing and sustaining systems which focuses on the interfaces between humans and modern technical systems. The objective of HSI is to provide equal weight to human, hardware, and software elements of system design throughout systems engineering and lifecycle logistics management activities across the lifecycle of a system. The end goal of HSI is to optimize total system performance and minimize total ownership costs. The field of HSI integrates work from multiple human centered domains of study include training, manpower, personnel, human factors engineering, safety, occupational health, survivability and habitability.
HSI is a total systems approach that focuses on the comprehensive integration across the HSI domains, and across systems engineering and logistics support processes. The domains of HSI are interrelated: a focus on integration allows tradeoffs between domains, resulting in improved manpower utilization, reduced training costs, reduced maintenance time, improved user acceptance, decreased overall lifecycle costs, and a decreased need for redesigns and retrofits. An example of a tradeoff is the increased training costs that might result from reducing manpower or increasing the necessary skills for a specific maintenance task. HSI is most effective when it is initiated early in the acquisition process, when the need for a new or modified capability is identified. Application of HSI should continue throughout the lifecycle of the system, integrating HSI processes alongside the evolution of the system.
HSI is an important part of systems engineering projects.

History

Military origins

The US Navy initiated the Military Manpower versus Hardware Methodology in 1977 to address problems with manpower, personnel and training in the service. In 1980, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine established the Committee on Human Factors, which was later renamed the Committee on Human Systems Integration. The modern concept of human systems integration in the United States originated in 1986 as a US Army program called the Manpower and Personnel Integration program.  With ties to the academic fields of industrial engineering and experimental psychology, MANPRINT incorporated human factors engineering with manpower, personnel and training domains into an integrated discipline. MANPRINT focused on the needs and capabilities of the soldier during the development of military systems, and MANPRINT framed a human-centered focus in six domains: human factors engineering, manpower, personnel, training, health hazards and system safety. The US Marine Corps, a component of the Navy, implemented aspects of both HARDMAN and MANPRINT programs to achieve HSI objectives, issuing a formal HSI policy in Marine Corps Order 5000.22 in 1994. The US Air Force began an HSI program in 1982 as "IMPACTS". Modern HSI programs abandoned early acronyms such as HARDMAN, MANPRINT and IMPACTS over the course of the development of their HSI programs. For example, the Air Force currently manages HSI through the of the human resources directorate. The US Department of Homeland Security initiated an HSI program under the Science and Technology Directorate in 2007, and the Transportation Security Administration initiated a focused HSI effort under the umbrella of DHS S&T in 2018. The and also address HSI. The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have HSI programs similarly rooted in human factors and modeled after the Army MANPRINT program. In Europe HSI is known as Human Factors Integration.

Policy

DoD acquisition policy to formalize manpower, personnel, training and safety processes started in 1988. HSI as a distinct focus area was first addressed in the Operation of the Defense Acquisition System issued in 2003. Updated in 2008, this policy expanded the six domains in the MANPRINT program to seven, re-focusing systems safety as safety and occupational health, and adding habitability and survivability to the list. In 2010, the National Academy of Sciences committee on Human Systems Integration was transitioned to a board under the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. The issues consensus studies, reports and proceedings on HSI research and application. A 2013 update of the DODINST 5000.02 added force protection to the survivability domain.  In 2020, the DODINST 5000.02 title and content shifted to the "Operation of the Adaptive Acquisition framework", which describes HSI activities tailored to each acquisition pathway, according to the unique characteristics of the capability being required.
The Defense Acquisition Guidebook, first published in 2002, devotes an entire chapter to manpower planning and HSI. In addition to focused discussion on each domain, the DAG emphasizes viewing HSI from a total system perspective, viewing the human components of a system as integral to the total system as any other component or subsystem. The DAG emphasizes the importance of representing HSI in all aspects of programmatic Integrated Product and Process Development, strategic planning and risk management.
The Standard Practice for Human Systems Integration was issued in 2019, and defines standard practices for procurement activities related to HSI. The standard is provided for industry to apply HSI during system design, through disposal and all related activities. This standard includes an overview of HSI and the domains, the domain relationships and tradeoffs, systems development process requirements, and a number of technical standard references

Technical standards and requirements

HSI and systems engineering

The INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook provides an authoritative reference to understand the discipline of Systems Engineering for student and practicing professionals. The human part of the system is associated with systems engineering activities from start to finish: from requirements development, to architectural design processes, verification, validation and operation. HSI is integral to the systems engineering process, and must be addressed in all program level integrated development product teams at program, technical, design, and decision reviews throughout the lifecycle of the system. The guidebook focuses on the integration of HSI into SE processes, and notes that intuitive understanding of the important role of the human as an element of a system is not enough to achieve HSI related cost and performance objectives. HSI assists engineers though the addition of human-centered domain specialists and integrators who ensure that human considerations such as usability, safety and health, maintainability and trainability are accounted for using systematic methodologies grounded in each human-centered domain
HSI trade studies and analyses are key methods of HSI that often result in insights not otherwise realized in systems engineering:. The INCOSE Systems Engineering Guidebook recommends a number of steps to effectively incorporate HSI into systems engineering processes
  • Initiate HSI early and effectively
  • Identify HSI issues and plan analyses
  • Document HSI requirements
  • Make HSI a factor in source selection for contracted development
  • Execute Integrated Technical Processes (including HSI domain integration
  • Conduct Proactive Tradeoffs
  • Conduct HSI Assessments
HSI interacts with a number of SE activities:
  • HSI domain experts collaborate with each other to achieve HSI objectives
  • The contractor and the customer may each have an HSI lead integrator and domain experts, each role collaborating with their counterparts
  • HSI domain experts may participate in program management roles such as Integrated Product Teams, design teams, logistics management teams, and other systems engineering and program management collaborations
  • HSI interacts with reliability, availability and maintainability activities.
  • HSI is important to successful test and evaluation and should be integrated to all stages of test and evaluation activities
  • HSI interacts with logistics and supportability activities.

    HSI and logistics support

Planning and management for cost and performance across the lifecycle of a system are accomplished through lifecycle logistics and integrated product support. These activities ensure that the system will meet sustainment objectives and satisfy user sustainment objectives. Product Support management covers three focus areas: lifecycle management, technical management and infrastructure management. The HSI domains of training, manpower and personnel fall under infrastructure management and are among the twelve elements of logistics / product support. Design Interface, one of the twelve elements of logistics / product support, is a subcategory of technical management and includes multiple domains of HSI, including human factors, personnel, habitability, training, safety and occupational health.
Design Interface is the integration of quantitative systems design characteristics with functional integrated product support elements. In this element of logistics, the systems design parameters drive product support resource requirements. Product support requirements are derived to ensure the system meets availability goals, balancing design and support costs. Design interface is a leading activity that impacts all other logistics / product support elements. Reliability and maintainability are aspects of design interface that have ties to manpower, personnel and training. Maintainability is a measure of the ease and speed in which a piece of equipment or system can be restored to full functionality after a failure; it is a function of design, personnel availability and skill levels, maintenance procedures, training and test equipment. Low maintainability may increase manpower, personnel and training costs over the lifecycle of the system. Human factors engineering and usability play an important role in requirements development, definition, design development and evaluation of system support for reliability and maintainability in the operational environment. Safety and occupational health are important aspects of product support: injury, accidental equipment damage, chronic injuries and long-term health problems reduce supportability, reliability and availability