Factors affecting the adequacy of ergonomic efforts on large-scale-system development programs

Abstract

A field study of the USA military system development structures and processes and major aerospace contractors was conducted to identify: (a) how ergonomic factors are considered in system design and development; and (b) differences among major development programs in both the magnitude and effectiveness of the overall ergonomics effort. The sensitivity of the customer's system program office director to the importance of ergonomics was found to be the single most important factor in determining the magnitude and effectiveness of the ergonomics effort. Two other critical factors were: (a) having a well established 'in house' ergonomics group with high credibility; and (b) having the ergonomics specialists located organizationally within the development engineering group and mainstream engineering process. Implications of these findings for marketing ergonomics are discussed.

Keywords:

• Ergonomics
• Human factors
• Systems development
• Management