A systems engineering life-cycle approach is used to design the Facilities Automated Scheduling Tool (FAST) for the Facilities Branch of the ABC Company. The emphasis of the proposed design is the human factors criteria that are used to optimize the human-computer interface (HCI).

The need identified by the Facilities Branch is that the current manual project tracking system takes three weeks to gather the information required to initiate a request for change (RFC). Paperwork is cumbersome, data files are difficult to locate, and the Facilities Specialists are inundated with fragmented reports filed away in cabinets that are taking up what little free space the office has left. Therefore, the requirements for the system are established, options considered, and a recommended design is achieved which will reduce the number of file cabinets by 80%, enable a project to be input into the system in fifteen minutes, and reduce the number of data input specialists from three to one, saving the company time and money.

FAST is essential to the Facilities Branch for optimal efficiency and cost-effective performance. Furthermore, many different operators need the system to track their specific projects. Most of these Facilities Specialists are not "regular" computer users, therefore, user-friendliness is of critical importance. Analyzing human factors options and presenting trade-offs is of utmost importance to ensure FAST will be used properly. If the user becomes frustrated with the system, the tool will no longer be useful to the operator or the Facilities Branch.

Both the hardware and software configurations of FAST are examined for user-friendliness and efficiency. The ABC Company has a service contract with IBM, where all the hardware equipment is bought. Therefore, an IBM platform is assumed for FAST. However, various screen designs and workstation arrangements are examined in order to produce a safe. comfortable, reliable, and efficient system that will save the ABC Company time and money.