Human Factors Integration in model based capability development
Publish date: 2013-01-23
Report number: FOI-R--3623--SE
Pages: 48
Written in: Swedish
Keywords:
- Model based capability development
- model based capability
- engineering
- Human Factors Integration
- User-centered systems development
- MODAF human views
Abstract
The work described in this report is part of a project within the Swedish Defence Materiels Administration (FMV) with the general designation Usability and Model Based Capability Development. The focus of the report is to highlight issues regarding user aspects, so called Human Factors Integration (HFI) issues, in relation to Model Based Capability Development. In model-based development the development process and the steps included in the process are described on an abstract level. User-centered development involves implementation of concrete activities, actions and tasks with a focus on the user's role and context. Model-based development and user-centered development are two different approaches that are difficult to reconcile. Thus, to include usercentered issues in model-based capability development is not a trivial task. In order to facilitate the task the work described in this report is based on an applied approach to model-based capability development, MBCE (Model Based Capability Engineering), used in the section for Facilitation and Business Development in the department for General Services Procurement Command and Special Assignments (AK Gem) at FMV. The report summarizes and describes user-related, HFI issues that should be addressed when working with the MBCE methodology. The report also discusses the difficulties with integrating human factor activities into model based capability projects. The overall conclusion of this work is that it is problematic to reconcile model-based capability development, as it has been applied in FMV, with user-centered methods. One way to approach this problem is to introduce a HFI-role who has competence and responsibility for raising, following and documenting user-related issues throughout the development process. A particularly important task of this role is to define an action plan for user-related issues in early phases when a project's scope and purpose defined.