Human Systems Integration
DAU GLOSSARY DEFINITION
The SE process and program management effort that provides integrated and comprehensive analysis, design, and assessment of requirements, concepts, and resources for HFE, manpower, personnel, training, SOH, FP&S, and habitability.
Human Systems Integration (HSI) is “the System Engineering process and program management effort that provides integrated and comprehensive analysis, design, and assessment of requirements, concepts, and resources for human factors engineering, manpower, personnel, training, safety and occupational health, force protection and survivability, and habitability” (DoDI 5000.95).
OUSD(R&E) announced the release of DODI 5000.95 (Human Systems Integration) with an effective date of 1 April 2022. This instruction applies to all systems and services acquired via the Defense Acquisition System. Its purpose is “to provide a disciplined, unified, and interactive approach to integrate human considerations across system design to optimize total system performance and minimize life-cycle costs.” Successful implementation of this instruction will require personnel knowledgeable in human systems integration (HSI) at all echelons, including OSD, Military Departments, Combatant Commands, Defense Agencies, DoD Field Activities, and all acquisition program offices.
The Human Systems Integration (HSI) discipline captures the relationship between humans and the user’s operational environment informing how systems are designed and used relative to that relationship. Human Systems Integration includes humans, in their different roles in the system (as operator, maintainer, sustainer, trainer, designer), Systems including hardware, software and processes (including the acquisition process and the design process), and the integration of all of these elements to optimize the effectiveness, suitability, and survivability of the delivered system at the lowest total ownership cost (TOC). This systems integration includes; the integrated and comprehensive analysis, design and assessment of requirements, concepts and resources for system manpower, personnel, training, safety and occupational health, habitability, personnel survivability, and human factors engineering.
Human Systems Integration is an important aspect of the design process. Human Systems Integration shall be a part of the design of system from the beginning of the acquisition process.
DoD Directive (DoDD) 5000.01, The Defense Acquisition System (DAS) (OUSD(A&S) September 2020) states:
“Human systems integration planning will begin in the early stages of the program life cycle. The goal will be to optimize total system performance and total ownership costs, while ensuring that the system is designed, operated, and maintained consistent with mission requirements.” (DoD Directive 5000.01)
The quality of Human Systems integration efforts by a program or capability developer affects all aspects of the DoD’s ability to perform its mission for human-centered design practice in delivery of warfighting capability.
As a result of contributions from the different HSI domain areas, the benefits of human systems integration from both technical and managerial efforts epitomize the value for a PM to formulate a comprehensive HSI program using an appropriate strategy to ensure HSI-related and human performance requirements are achieved. The program will consist of risk management, engineering, analysis, and human-centered design activities and trade space analysis within and across the HSI domains in accordance with DoDI 5000.02 to deliver effective, suitable, and survivable capability.
Several resources are available to provide the requisite HSI knowledge, and more are under development.