Integrating ergonomics into production system development – The Volvo Powertrain case

Neumann, Patrick; Ekman, Marianne; Winkel, Jørgen

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2008.09.010

Cited by 70 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…In these cases data collection methods are usually questionnaires (Rauch and Wilson, 1995;Vredenburg et al, 2002b;Venturi and Troost, 2004;Ji and Yun, 2006), interviews (Bekker, 1995;Borgholm and Madsen, 1999;Boivie et al, 2003;Boivie et al, 2006;Bruno and Dick, 2007), or a combination of both (Rosenbaum et al, 2000;Gulliksen et al, 2006;Neumann et al, 2009). Informants are mostly usability specialists and interaction designers, and the focus is usually not so much on the product development process and team as a whole, but on usability-related activities and usability departments.…”

Section: Studies Of Usability In Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…And to what extent does the development process allow for user involvement and an iterative approach throughout the process (Clegg et al, 1997;Boivie et al, 2003;Boivie et al, 2006;Gulliksen et al, 2006;Ji and Yun, 2006;Bruno and Dick, 2007;Neumann et al, 2009).…”

Section: Studies Of Usability In Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the field of ergonomics numerous case studies have been performed on the integration of workplace ergonomics in product development (e.g., Broberg, 1997;Neumann et al, 2009), but as of yet the integration of product ergonomics in product development has received less attention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Usability in product development practice; an exploratory case study comparing four markets

2015

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This study explored how usability was dealt with in four product development organizations active in different sectors: high-end automotive, professional printers and copiers, office coffee makers and fast moving consumer goods. The primary differentiators of the selected cases were whether they were targeting businesses or consumers and the degree of product complexity. Interviews with 19 product development practitioners were conducted, focusing on three topics: 1) the product development process and the integration of user involvement, 2) multidisciplinary teamwork, and 3) organizational attitude towards usability. Based on the interviews, context descriptions of the companies were created and barriers and enablers for usability were identified. To verify the findings and to discuss remaining issues a feedback workshop was held in which the primary contact from each company participated. The results indicate that differences in product-market combination lead to differences in organizational attitude towards usability. The prioritization of usability in an organization seems to be influenced by the degree of product complexity (complex products are more prone to suffer from usability issues) and whether developers think that usability is a purchase consideration for their clients. The product-market combination a company targets also affects the methods for user-centred design that a company can apply and that are relevant. What methods for user-centred design are used also seems to be influenced by the attitude towards usability: if usability is considered more important, methods that require more resources can be applied.

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Section: Studies Of Usability In Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Studies Of Usability In Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

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Usability in product development practice; an exploratory case study comparing four markets

2015

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“…It has previously been found that intra-organizational boundaries can be problematic when attempting to integrate ergonomics in design, for instance in manufacturing companies [30] The challenge for ergonomists engaged in design in a client-consultant setting, however, appears to be to promote ergonomics in a setting where the engineering designers are separated both interorganizationally and financially from the potential savings of involving ergonomics in design.…”

Section: Sub-optimization Of Costsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…He was "skilled in political and reflective processes" [38] and succeeded in building alliances that helped him to push the ergonomic agenda. Neumann et al [30] distinguish between navigating as an internal or external navigator. In the hospital case, an alliance was formed between an internal and external 'ergonomic navigator'.…”

Section: Competencies To Overcome Resource Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating ergonomics knowledge into business-driven design projects: The shaping of resource constraints in engineering consultancy

Hall-Andersen

Neumann

Broberg

2016

WOR

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Abstract.BACKGROUND: The integration of ergonomics knowledge into engineering projects leads to both healthier and more efficient workplaces. There is a lack of knowledge about integrating ergonomic knowledge into the design practice in engineering consultancies. OBJECTIVES:This study explores how organizational resources can pose constraints for the integration of ergonomics knowledge into engineering design projects in a business-driven setting, and how ergonomists cope with these resource constraints.PARTICIPANTS: An exploratory case study in an engineering consultancy was conducted. A total of 27 participants were interviewed. METHODS:Data were collected applying semi-structured interviews, observations, and documentary studies. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and categorized into themes. RESULTS:From the analysis five overall themes emerged as major constituents of resource constraints: 1) maximizing project revenue, 2) payment for ergonomics services, 3) value of ergonomic services, 4) role of the client, and 5) coping strategies to overcome resource constraints. CONCLUSION:We hypothesize that resource constraints were shaped due to sub-optimization of costs in design projects. The economical contribution of ergonomics measures was not evaluated in the entire life cycle of a designed workplace. Coping strategies included teaming up with engineering designers in the sales process or creating an alliance with ergonomists in the client organization.

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Macroergonomics intervention programs: Recommendations for their design and implementation

Herrera

Huatuco

2010

Hum Ftrs & Erg Mfg Svc

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The purpose of this article is twofold: 1) to consider the intervention programs that emerged before ergonomic research, and 2) to develop a methodology for design and implementation of a macroergonomics intervention program in a manufacturing organization. A design that has been used is shown, which allows subsequent specialists' actions to achieve the expected results and avoid mistakes during implementation. A case study in the shoe industry is used to validate the procedure and illustrate the results, which include improvement in the quality of work processes (from 6.14% to 1.54% defects) and in quality of work life (from 58.03% to 93.33%). The conclusions highlight the need to carry out intervention programs relating to both micro and macro levels to achieve optimization of work systems. The recent increase in research activity in this area and the positive results encourage the future development of such macroergonomics intervention programs. C

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Integrating ergonomics into production system development – The Volvo Powertrain case

Cited by 70 publications

References 66 publications

Usability in product development practice; an exploratory case study comparing four markets

Usability in product development practice; an exploratory case study comparing four markets

Integrating ergonomics knowledge into business-driven design projects: The shaping of resource constraints in engineering consultancy

Macroergonomics intervention programs: Recommendations for their design and implementation

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