What is Human Systems Integration (HSI)?

Human Systems Integration (HSI) incorporates knowledge of human capabilities and limitations into systems to make them more efficient, effective and safe. During system acquisition, HSI seeks to balance human capabilities and limitations with the affordances and constraints presented by system technology in order to accomplish system objectives. HSI considers all human roles in the system such as the operator, maintainer, trainer, designer, etc. HSI offers a unique value proposition to the Coast Guard by systematic consideration of the human as an element of total systems performance, providing program managers with the information to improve human-technology integration when design changes are most cost effective.

HSI considerations are categorized into eight domains:& manpower, personnel, training, human factors engineering, environment, safety, occupational health hazards, and personnel survivability. The Coast Guard integrates these domains to create four teams: Human Factors Engineering, Manpower and Personnel, Human Performance Support and Training, and System Safety.

Early and up-front application of HSI in the systems engineering process will ensure that user needs, capabilities, and constraints are incorporated into the definition, design, development, production, operations, support, and sustainment of systems. This enables systems to fulfill their intended purpose for their target audience of operators, maintainers, and supporters. By influencing system acquisitions, HSI increases the probability of successful total system performance and decreases the probability of costly HSI-related inefficiencies or changes.

Mission

Our mission is to represent the Assistance Commandant for Human Resources (CG-1) in fulfilling responsibilities as the Technical Authority for Human Systems Integration.

Goals

All system acquisitions have one basic thing in common: they are materiel solutions for users to accomplish the organization's missions. Even unmanned systems, such as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), require careful consideration of human operator and maintainer requirements. The real measure of system success is the extent to which the system enables the end-users to do the work of the coast Guard. Because the bulk of a system's total cost of ownership is attributed to people, effective and efficient human integration is the key to life-cycle cost control. In short, the goal of HSI is to find the right (most efficient and effective) balance among people, hardware, and software.