Processes and organizations as systems: when the processors are people, not pentiums

The field of Human Factors in systems engineering is understood to comprise a wide range of issues from the physiology of workstation design to the psychology of job satisfaction. The study of the human role in systems takes on additional dimensions when the “system” in question is actually the process of developing products or systems and the organization performing the development process. This article discusses key differences pertaining to the human element in development processes versus traditional systems, and explores the impacts of its characteristics and behavior. Implications for work currently being done in the areas of process maturity and continuous process improvement are also presented. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Syst Eng 3: 103–111, 2000