Human Systems Integration in Education and Training: A Grassroots Effort to Obtain Total Systems Performance at an Affordable Cost

Abstract

AbstractHuman systems integration (HSI) requires highly qualified practitioners who can effectively and affordably integrate human capabilities into new and existing weapons systems. Over the past few years, Congressional support of National Defense Act (HR1522) for HSI continues as evident by this statement, “The committee recognizes HSI initiatives as a means for reducing total ownership costs of weapons programs, and continues to support efforts to more formally consider HSI issues earlier in the acquisition cycle.” To do so, organizations must focus attention within the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (CJCSI 3170.01) and the Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition framework (DoDI 5000.2) processes. More specifically, HSI practitioners center attention on total system performance by integrating trade‐offs within and across the HSI domains of manpower, personnel, training, human factors engineering, environment, safety, occupational health, survivability, and habitability. By conducting system‐level integration from concept inception to operational employment to eventual disposal, HSI practitioners can enable optimized total systems performance and reduce life‐cycle costs. Because very few qualified HSI practitioners are available and/or affordable, three critical ingredients need to be addressed: (1) greater demand for HSI as a result of better HSI requirements, (2) senior leadership and organizational motivation of subject matter experts to become HSI practitioners, and (3) availability of comprehensive education and training programs across the spectrum for new personnel to become HSI practitioners and existing practitioners to maintain proficiency and currency with changing technology. Education and training opportunities need to be cohesive and coherent across the spectrum of learning: initial qualification, continuing education, professional development, advanced credentials, and ultimately professional certification. These opportunities should be sufficient to create a near‐term DoD and industry certification standard and process that will support the growing demand for HSI in DoD systems acquisition and the industries that support the process.