Integrating humans with software and systems: Technical challenges and a research agenda

As systems continue to grow in size and complexity, the integration of humans with software and systems poses an ever-growing challenge. The discipline of human-system integration (HSI) is concerned with addressing this challenge from both a managerial and technical perspective. The latter is the focus of this paper. This paper examines this integration challenge from the perspective of capitalizing on the strengths of humans, software, and systems while, at the same time, being mindful of their respective limitations. It presents four key examples of HSI challenges that go beyond the usual human factors requirements. It presents cognitive engineering as a key enabler of HSI and discusses the suitability of the Incremental Commitment Model for introducing human considerations within the complex systems engineering lifecycle. It concludes with a recommendation of specific research thrusts that can accelerate the maturation and adoption of HSI methods, processes, and tools by the software and systems engineering communities. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 13: 232–245, 2010