Systems Innovation LabPeople · Systems · Design
Human factors and operational systems consultancy

Systems that work the way people do.

The same problems return. Procedures are hard to use. Work depends on a few experienced people. We examine how tasks, tools and organisational decisions shape the work, then develop and test practical changes with your team.

Tell us what is happening → Does this sound familiar? ↓
Quality, health, safety, environmentUAE and Australia
Why problems return

The procedure is not the job.

Most QHSE systems describe how work should happen. Problems keep returning in the gap between that description and the work as it is actually done.

  1. Skipped under time pressureThe check happens later, or not at all, when the job is due.
  2. Information missingSomeone asks an experienced colleague because the system does not say.
  3. Approved after the factThe form is signed once the goods have already left.

Illustrative. One task, drawn twice. Another procedure or another round of training rarely closes this gap, because neither changes the conditions that create it.

Human factors and systems thinking

Look at the whole system, not only the person.

Human factors and systems thinking are the basis of every engagement. They explain why the gap appears, and where a change will hold.

Work as imagined
The chart says control flows down.
Every box has one line to the box above it. Tidy, and true on paper.

Over time, everyday pressures push the work towards its limits. Rasmussen’s model shows how.

Day one
Work lives inside three boundaries.
Economic failure on one side. Unacceptable workload on another. Loss of control on the third.

More on the thinking behind the work

How we work · Human-centred design

Designed with the people who do the work.

Every change is developed with your people and tested in their conditions before it is handed over.

  1. DiagnoseSee what is actually happening: records, observation and conversations with the people involved.
  2. Co-designRe-design it with your people: options developed with those who do and manage the work.
  3. EmbedMake it the way the work runs: tested in realistic conditions, then handed over with ownership agreed.

See how we work

Does this sound familiar

Procedures in place. Training done. Same problems.

Choose an example to see what we would examine and what could change. You do not need to know the cause or choose a service before getting in touch.

Choose a workplace example to read
Illustrative workplace example

The form was signed.
The goods had already left.

The procedure requires approval before dispatch. Delivery is due, the result is missing, and the work moves on.

Read about management-system re-design

What we look at
01TimingDoes the decision happen while someone can still act on it?
02AuthorityCan the person responsible hold the release, or only sign the form?
03WorkflowWhat happens when information is missing, or a result is not acceptable?
What could change

A release decision that can still affect the work.

Agree when the approval is due, what evidence supports it and who can hold the release. Test the normal route and the exceptions before relying on the change.

Illustrative workplace example

The instruction is complete.
The task is still difficult.

People know the procedure. On a busy shift they still work around it to finish the job.

Read about human factors

What we look at
01The taskDoes the sequence fit the job, including interruptions and unusual situations?
02InformationCan people find and understand what matters at the point they need it?
03ConditionsDo the available time, tools and responsibilities make the expected action workable?
What could change

A better fit between the job and the person doing it.

Develop the instruction, job aid or task change with the people who use it. Try it in realistic conditions and record what still needs work.

Illustrative workplace example

The system is new.
The workaround is familiar.

A business invests in new software, and staff still use spreadsheets and messages to get the job done.

Read about implementation and support

What we look at
01RequirementsDid the brief capture real decisions and exceptions, or only a list of features?
02The userDoes the right person have the information and the ability to complete the task?
03TestingWhat happens with missing information, an unusual job or an absent approver?
What could change

Business requirements you can test.

Define the requirements that are missing and test the revised workflow with users. Your supplier configures the software; we work on your side of it.

These examples explain the approach. They are not reported client outcomes, and the work and the measures would be agreed around your own task, risks and requirements.

Not sure how to describe the problem?

These prompts can help you prepare for a conversation. They do not assess risk or establish whether a workplace is safe.

  • What keeps happening, despite the action already taken?
  • Where do people need a workaround, extra help or missing information?
  • What would need to work differently for your team?

You can describe one example in your own words. Tell us what is happening.

Where we can help

Start from what is happening.

Six starting points. If none of them is quite it, describe the situation and we will help work out the scope.

Problems keep coming backSystems diagnostic →The management system is hard to useManagement-system re-design →A process is slow or keeps producing reworkProcess optimisation →People struggle with a task or an interfaceHuman factors →An incident needs a fuller explanationIncident investigation →New software has to support the businessImplementation and support →

Not sure where to start? Tell us what is happening. A diagnostic can stand alone, but it is not a compulsory first stage.

An example

845 recorded problems in under three years.

For a certified manufacturer in the UAE we reviewed 845 recorded non-conformances raised in under three years, which are logged failures to meet a requirement. More than half had no root cause recorded. That left an important gap in the record of why the problems had happened.

The work has included re-drafting the procedures, specifying what has to be checked before production proceeds, and testing the new business software against those requirements. It is in progress, and results after implementation have not been published.

Read the manufacturing example
Systems Innovation Lab · United Arab Emirates & Australia

Tell us what is happening at your workplace.

Tell us what is happening →
contact@systemsinnovation.ae · +971 56 988 7655 · +61 4 1309 1138