CONNECTING the DESIGN of SOFTWARE to the DESIGN of WORK

When interactive software is designed, much about the work of its users is also defined. The software embodies a model of work processes for its end users because part of its job is to manage the content, format, and sequencing of the information that users need to do their work. The effect is that any application will preferentially enable certain work processes, and users will have to work harder to follow any others. In order to design work deliberately, the difference between work design and software design needs to be understood. A tool suite is described that is an advanced prototype and example of how software and work design can be connected through iterations. The advantages of this suite is that it is a reliable and replicable method, it addresses the entire system architecture, and once the first pair of models has been built, one can move through additional iterations quickly.