Human Software Requirements Engineering for Computer-Controlled Manufacturing Systems

Abstract

Computers as an integral system component determine the quality of work of operators in industrial production. This paper makes a contribution for improved design of man-machine systems by proposing a formal aid to human software requirements definition and design.First, the need for considering human requirements is stressed. As technology is to be considered "non-deterministic", the designer is faced by a degree of freedom in his design decisions which can be and should be utilized for rising the quality of work of persons operating computer-controlled man-machine systems.Then, a hierarchy of human quality criteria applicable for ergonomie judgement of work design measures is derived. Following the principle of prospective work design, these criteria must be considered just like technical and economical requirements as design goals. As a formal aid for making design decisions meeting these comprehensive requirements, the Requirements/Quality Criteria Matrix is proposed.Finally, this method of considering human requirements is exemplified by designing some man-machine interface features for operators of a hypothetical flexible manufacturing system.