The design of complete systems: Providing human factors guidance for COTS acquisition

Abstract

In this paper, we describe approaches to provide Human Factors support for the assessment of COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) equipment as part of the MoD acquisition and development processes. Whilst the use of COTS products generally prohibits influence on their design, the design of the socio-technical system into which the product needs to be integrated requires considerable attention. This is especially so when dealing with Human Factors aspects, which are often less tangible than engineering issues, and therefore more difficult to capture in requirements specifications and assessment metrics. We present the development of an assessment tool that aims to capture the breadth of potential Human Factors impacts for the specific requirements of COTS products.