Advisory and Design

The advisory and design service delivers efficient, high-impact, and results-driven engagements. Typically, the client has already completed the Human Factors Readiness Assessment and/or has determined a human factors focal area for design and curated advisement.

Advisory and design may be part of the same engagement, or it might focus on one or the other. Many times, these two services blend into the same engagement, which is why they are described together. We will formulate the right type of service and focus area collaboratively in our planning discussions.


Advisory and/or Design engagements typically focus on:

  • Job and task design or re-design of key smart manufacturing/Industry 4.0 roles - operator, supervisor, manager, and strategic leader

  • Human capital management design, including strategies to recruit and retain a workforce with the requisite digital competencies

  • Health and safety planning

  • Change management design and planning

  • Holistic technology design and implementation strategies

Engagements typically flow in this order:

  • Needs assessment

  • Diagnosis of current state

  • Diagnostic data collection - may include surveys, interviews, focus groups, documentation review, organizational data reviews

  • Application of relevant frameworks, models, or tools (domain- and objective-specific)

  • Facilitated design and strategy discussions with leadership and stakeholders

  • Analysis and insights through discussions and facilitated sessions

  • Typical products: Briefs and/or artifacts that succinctly summarize key findings and recommendations, key design documentation

  • Targeted implementation support via email, video calls, or on-site if needed and as negotiated

Engagement delivery:

  • Discovery meeting to determine fit and scope project

  • Terms and contracting

  • Engagements may be all virtual, all in-person, or a combination of in-person and virtual, which consists of onsite meetings with some meetings done over video

  • All virtual engagements occur through facilitated video calls using online collaborative workspaces, curated visuals, and targeted data collection tools (e.g., online surveys or video interviews)

Timeframe: Usually 6-24 months, depending on project scope, goals, and availability