MAP-01-011 HFI Technical Guide - Human Factors Integration ...

Chapter 3 – HFI Design Process3.1 Overview of HFI Design ProcessHuman Factors is a scientific and engineering discipline. It provides concepts,knowledge, methods and data for use in the design, realisation, evaluation andsupport of naval systems, platforms and equipment. Human Factors Integration(HFI) draws on this discipline to provide a structured, effective and auditableprocess. The technical guidance presented in Chapters 4 through 17 and theassociated annexes is based on the HFI design process.HFI is an evolving discipline. New information, techniques and tools are beingdeveloped both for the MoD, industry and commerce in general. As such, HFIspecialist advice may be necessary when deciding on the best way of applyingthe design process to a specific procurement. HFI standards (Annex 2) provideadvice about proven methods and data for use in systems engineering. Theactivities and methods that are applied in the HFI design process during platformand equipment development are presented in Figure 3-1 in schematic form.Details of HF methods and tools are summarised in Annex 3.The components of the design process are HFI activities. These have beenarranged into a ‘Core Design Process’ representing typical dependenciesbetween methods irrespective of the procurement Phase – in practice it is highlyiterative. The activities presented in the upper-left and upper-right shaded boxesare applied continuously during product development. The activities presentedalongside the core process are generally used for product evaluation or toproduce supporting data. The actual activities that are carried out and thesequence in which they are performed will vary depending upon whether theproduct is a complete platform, a piece of equipment or a system.The core design process shown in Figure 3-1 is a collation of the activities thatcould be applied in naval equipment programmes. The actual HFI designprocess and methods used in any specific platform or equipment design willdepend on the scope of the programme and the Phase of procurement includingin-service updates.The following sections characterise some of the most important aspects of theHFI design process for Sea Systems.In reality, it is often impractical (and possibly undesirable) to re-design equipmentto suit particular sub-sets of user needs. This is increasingly true for MOTS andCOTS solutions, where the benefits of using a proven, standard solution withknown training implication, may outweigh any benefits from a closer matching ofsolution to technical requirements. In such cases, the need to fully explore andanalyse the implications of equipment choices on the human component of asystem becomes paramount.The goal of the HFI process must be to successfully integrate the human andtechnical components of a system, within any constraints set by the overalloperating context. Similarly, any assumption that HFI is more closely associatedwith a particular project area, such as logistics, must be dispelled.Whilst a responsibility for the management of HFI within an IPT is sometimesaligned with the management of ILS, this is a matter of organisationalconvenience, not one of technical principle. In order to bring the necessarybenefits to a project, HFI resources must fully interact with all technical andsupport areas of the project.Nov 2006 Page 3-3 Issue 4