Human-system integration to achieve through life cost reduction

As modern Navies balance the trade-off between cost and advanced technology it is easy to focus on the traditional solutions. Although early adoption of Human Factors is often incorporated in the design phase, it is frequently overlooked as a specific means to derive significant cost savings during the wider build cycle and through-life operation of the vessel. This is perhaps unsurprising given that the Human Factors discipline within the maritime domain has traditionally tended to focus solely on the safety implications of vessel design and operation. The adoption of a human-centric approach to the design of vessels allows us to consider the whole system requirements of the crew in terms of supportability, operational effectiveness, habitability and survivability. At the same time this approach focuses attention on how the vessel supports the crew in their joint mission. Thus the modern warship must be seen as a partnership between the technology and human components within the system. This human-system integration approach allows us to not only focus on both human and system components within the design process, but also to take an inclusive stance across all parts of the marine design domains. Human-system integration is thus seen as an integral part of meeting the complex challenges posed by advanced technologies and the need to reduce cost.