Developing the HFI Social & Organisational Domain: Final Report

HFIDTC/2/WP2.18/3Version 2/14th May 20095 Conclusions and RecommendationsUnderstanding SOF and their influence in defence acquisition, and across other defenceareas, is a considerable task. This research has sought to make some practical progresson this task by providing definition of the area in terms of what can be achieved,primarily through HFI. Discussions with stakeholders reinforced the importance ofconsidering broader SOF than have traditionally been included in defence HFI. Withoutthis, new ways of working with increased use of technology and multiple organisationscould be adversely affected. Along with the literature reviewing activities, the reviewswith stakeholders also highlighted the need for practical guidance, both on the technicalcontent and on methods, tools and metrics. It was also found that consideration should begiven to SOF not only in development of front line capability, but also in organisationsand processes involved in acquisition itself. The nature of the social and organisationaldomain is such that it needs to be considered across all stages of acquisition, across allDLOD and across capabilities. This work has also identified the need for other defenceareas to consider these types of issues and has created a mechanism to support this.The aim of this work was always to be on developing practical guidance for use withinthe defence acquisition community. This report provides some indication of how thisrequired shift can be achieved and offers initial practical guidance and associatedprocesses. More work will be needed to raise awareness of the breadth of HF andencourage it to be viewed not just as a set of specialist views in design, but as a providerof macroergonomic management consultancy and organisational change support.The issue of change management is a critical one in considering SOF and it is an areastrongly recommended for further work. It is important because appropriateimplementation of a change can be critical to the success of the desired change. It hasimplications for the introduction of new technology, Urgent Operational Requirements(UORs) and other changes in the delivery of defence capability.Continuing technical research is also needed to explore some of the content of the SOF.For example, very little information could be identified on the meaning of ‘trust’ in thecontext of Network Enabled Capability (NEC); hence at present there is little informationavailable for advising system developers or Front Line Commands (FLC) on how toensure appropriate trust is developed when employing new technology or working withdifferent groups.To further develop the SOF framework the following recommendations are made:• Understand MOD’s management of change processes and integrate with the SOFframework.• Publicise the existence of the SOF framework at the HFI DTC March 2009symposium.• Publicise the SOF framework at PIC awareness events at Abbey Wood and MainBuilding.• Liaise with MOD training providers to discuss inclusion of SOF information intostaff courses and acquisition training.18