Smart Digital Reality

Welcome to the second installment of our series on Hexagon’s innovative approach to Human-Centered Connected Worker Solutions and Ecosystems. In it, we explore how Hexagon’s connected worker framework transforms industrial operations by seamlessly integrating a visionary strategic foundation, essential processes, and cutting-edge technologies, all grounded in human-centered design (HCD) principles. 

Recap of blog article 1 of 4: Empowering Industrial Evolution: The Four Layers of Hexagon’s Connected Worker Ecosystem 

Our first blog introduced the strategic layer of Hexagon’s Connected Worker Ecosystem, powered by HxGN SDx2 and Smart Digital Reality™. This foundational layer captures, stores and manages critical data, creating the digital twins required to drive operational excellence in today’s digital-centric industrial landscape. 

We also detailed Hexagon’s comprehensive four-layer approach to connected worker solutions, which are: 

1. The Why? Strategic Layer: This layer defines the executive strategy for supporting asset management goals and leverages HxGN SDx2 and Smart Digital Reality to deliver digital twin environments.  

2. The How? - Process Layer: Hexagon’s five-level Process Architecture provides a world-class framework for defining the requirements for human-centered connected worker solutions.  

3. The What? - Technology Layer: Selecting and implementing technologies based on process architecture requirements enhanced with human-centered design (HCD) principles.  

4. The Who? - Human Layer: Focusing on workforce well-being, engagement and growth after setting the foundation with the above layers. It ensures the workforce is prepared and motivated to embrace and leverage advancements.  

Each blog in this series explores these four layers of Hexagon’s Human-Centered Connected Worker design framework. This installment focuses on the second layer, process, the crucial link between strategy and execution. It’s distinguished by Hexagon’s best-practice process architecture, which serves as a roadmap for integrating HCD principles and performance support elements from executive strategy to individual process steps. This underscores how properly supported human effort enhances safety, productivity, efficiency and quality across digital assets and project implementations.   

^{Figure 1. Hexagon Connected Ecosystem Design} 

A Historical Perspective on Process Design and Management 

From Ancient Wisdom to Industrial Revolution: The Evolution of the Human Element 

The importance of workplace human connection has been recognized since ancient times. The Greeks and Romans, renowned for their monumental achievements in architecture and infrastructure, valued worker collaboration, communication and connection. They established societies and networks to promote knowledge exchange and ensure effective teamwork. These practices laid the early groundwork for modern management principles that balance human relationships with organization, division of labor and standardization. 

Ancient societies’ emphasis on human connection laid the foundation for modern management principles, highlighting the enduring importance of the human element in connected worker solutions. 

Scientific Management: Rise of Efficiency 

Frederick Winslow Taylor, was widely known for his methods of improving industrial efficiency. In the early 20th century, he introduced scientific management, a revolutionary approach to maximizing productivity through efficiency and standardization. Taylor’s methods, which included time-and-motion studies and segmentation of work into specialized tasks, were highly effective in boosting individual output. However, this focus on efficiency often overlooked human needs and workplace dynamics, leading to worker dissatisfaction and a growing disconnect between labor and management. 

: Taylor’s scientific management optimized efficiency but left the human element behind. 

World War II and the Era of Mass Production: A Shift in Priorities 

The focus on efficiency intensified during World War II, giving rise to a new era of mass production. Factories were restructured to produce weapons, vehicles and supplies, prioritizing speed over worker engagement and autonomy. The mass production model, driven by wartime demands, continued into the post-war era as consumerism surged, with industries shifting from military goods to consumer products, such as personal automobiles and household appliances. 

While this model helped meet wartime and post-war needs, it exposed deeper process design and management flaws. Systems that focused on output often ignored the human factor, leading to quality control problems, worker dissatisfaction and inefficiencies in adapting to shifting industrial demands. Workers became increasingly disconnected from the purpose and outcomes of their work, further widening the gap between production goals and human needs. 

: The relentless pursuit of efficiency during early mass production overshadowed the human element, highlighting the need for more balanced, connected worker solutions. 

Post-WWII Fordism and the Rise of Process Management 

Productivity, not process, was the focus of the 1940s-1950s. This era was characterized by hasty process design driven by the quest for speed. As a result, post-war management practices focused on righting the wrongs created by a narrow view of productivity. This is where thought leaders like Geary Rummler and Michael Hammer introduced frameworks emphasizing a systemic view of processes. These pioneers shifted the work focus from task management to holistic process management, addressing challenges such as reduced process time, cycle time and bottlenecks. a systemic view of processes. These pioneers shifted the work focus from task management to holistic process management, addressing challenges such as reduced process time, cycle time and bottlenecks. 

Rummler emphasized mapping processes with context, highlighting the interconnectedness of business goals, cross-functional alignment, worker performance, and outcomes. This allowed organizations to see beyond isolated tasks and consider how processes aligned with operational areas and needs. 

During this same timeframe, Michael Hammer’s Business Process Reengineering (BPR) called for a radical redesign of inefficient processes. His work focused on overhauling workflows rooted in the mass production model, addressing the challenges of rapid production and poor quality. 

: Post-WWII thought leaders shifted from task management to systemic process management, addressing rapid production challenges and emphasizing the interconnectedness of business goals, worker performance, and outcomes. 

Shift to Human-Centered Connected Worker Solutions 

Today, we’re witnessing an evolution of workplace processes from a reactive focus on efficiency to a proactive emphasis on work—a system that benefits from embedding human-centered design.  

This shift is driven by a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between human performance and organizational success. By integrating HCD principles into connected worker solutions, organizations can create a harmonious balance between productivity, employee satisfaction and growth. 

 Modern organizations are shifting from efficiency to holistic HCD, balancing productivity with employee well-being, satisfaction and work experience. 

Hexagon’s Process Architecture: A Human-Centered Blueprint for Connected Worker Solutions 

Hexagon’s process architecture provides a comprehensive framework, integrating HCD principles into the process and the connected workflow solution design. This architecture emphasizes an iterative approach to the anatomy of work, ensuring each process, at every level, is tailored to address the most critical needs and enhance the user experience. 

By incorporating HCD principles (e.g., alignment, collaboration, customization, clarity, simplicity), Hexagon drives productivity and transforms the work environment into a more intuitive, engaging and resilient ecosystem. This establishes a new standard for harmonizing technology with HCD in the digital age. 

Level 0: Executive Strategy - Crafting the Vision 

HCD Principle: Alignment: “Strategic Vision Meets Worker Needs” 

This level provides a clear, overarching vision that aligns digital transformation efforts with organizational goals and process designs. It’s based on digital assets and digital projects and drives business process design and operational excellence. Ensuring worker needs and strategic goals are integrated at this highest level establishes a unified direction for achieving the industry’s most important goals. 

Level 1: Business Processes - Aligning Strategy with Action 

HCD Principle: Collaboration “Bridging Vision with Action through Cross-Functional Teamwork” 

At this level, the strategic vision is translated into actionable workflows crucial for aligning daily operations with high-level goals and optimizing efficiency and worker engagement. By fostering cross-departmental collaboration and implementing a continuous feedback loop, Hexagon makes certain business process designs remain dynamic and responsive to evolving conditions. 

Level 2: Work Process Areas - Customizing Solutions for Departmental Needs 

HCD Principle: Customization “Tailoring Workflows to Unique Needs” 

Building upon the foundation of Level 1, this level concentrates on adapting workflows to the specific needs of different departments. This customization ensures each team receives tailored tools and processes, maximizing departmental efficiency while aligning with broader organizational goals. 

Level 3: Work Processes - Defining Specific Actions for Workers 

HCD Principle: Clarity “Turning High-Level Goals into Clear, Actionable Steps” 

This is where high-level workflows are broken down into specific, actionable steps for workers. This layer emphasizes standardization and precision, using real-time data and technology to guide task execution. Hexagon’s process architecture refines how workflows are designed and managed by providing clear, step-by-step procedures, human performance support and continuously incorporating worker feedback. 

Level 4: Process Steps – Error-Proofing for Performance and Safety in Every Action 

HCD Principle: Simplicity “Streamlining Tasks for Accuracy and Safety” 

At this level, Hexagon’s connected worker solutions focus on optimizing the anatomy of work. The anatomy of work refers to the underlying structure and components that shape how tasks are performed, how information flows, and how workers interact with tools and systems within an organization. It encompasses the various elements that contribute to the overall effectiveness and efficiency of work processes. This ensures superior worker engagement, performance and satisfaction. By streamlining tasks and providing digital support and content—along with real-time data—the goal is to error-proof every action, provide an optimized worker experience and enhance performance and safety. 

Foundation of Success: HCD Principles at Every Level of Hexagon’s Process Architecture 

Let’s examine Table 2.0, which summarizes each level and its associated HCD principles, to further illustrate Hexagon’s 5-Level Process Architecture’s benefits and the integration of HCD principles.  

^{Table 2.0 Summary of HCD across Process Levels} 

Hexagon’s five-Level Process Architecture exemplifies the power of a human-centered, iterative approach to connected worker solutions. By seamlessly aligning strategy with action, customizing workflows for departmental needs and focusing on precise task execution, each level enhances and supports the others. This comprehensive framework is vital for achieving operational excellence, improving worker safety and engagement and driving continuous improvement with powerful process diagnostic capabilities throughout the digital transformation journey. 

2025 and The Future of HCD in Connected Worker Solutions 

Integrating HCD principles within Hexagon’s five-Level Process Architecture will be pivotal in shaping the future of connected worker solutions. By embedding these principles, organizations can create effective solutions that also deeply resonate with workers’ needs, experiences and preferences, driving productivity and satisfaction. Let’s review some key predictions for 2025. 

1. Enhanced User Experience via Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) 

   • Relevance: AI and ML will tailor connected worker solutions to individual user needs and preferences, enhancing usability and satisfaction. Embedding HCD principles ensures advanced technologies are used to create intuitive and personalized experiences.
   • Example: Predictive maintenance systems that use AI to anticipate equipment failures, reduce downtime, and improve worker productivity by addressing specific user personas and pain points. 

2. Increased Focus on Worker Well-Being and Safety 

   • Relevance: Prioritized worker well-being and safety aligning with HCD principles to ensure solutions are designed with their users’ physical and mental health in mind, promoting a safer, more supportive work environment.
   • Example: Wearable devices that monitor vital signs and environmental conditions, alerting workers and supervisors of potential health risks and embedding safety into daily operations. 

3. Seamless Integration of Augmented Reality (AR)

   • Relevance: AR enhances the user experience by providing real-time, context-specific information, making complex tasks easier and safer. HCD principles ensure AR applications are designed to be user-friendly and effective.
   • Example: AR glasses overlaying step-by-step procedures and safety warnings during complex tasks, reducing errors and enhancing efficiency by delivering clear, actionable guidance and support. 

4. Greater Emphasis on Data-Driven Decision-Making

   • Relevance: Data analytics will drive continuous improvement in connected worker solutions, ensuring they remain relevant and effective. HCD principles ensure data is used to embellish user experience and meet evolving needs.
   • Example: Dashboards that aggregate and visualize data from various sources, enabling managers to make more informed decisions about process optimizations and resource allocations, directly benefiting workers. 

5. Scalability and Flexibility in Solution Design 

   • Relevance: Solutions designed with scalability and flexibility will evolve with changing organizational needs and technological advancements. HCD principles ensure these solutions remain user-centric, scalable and adaptable.
   • Example: Adaptable resources, including HxGN SDx2, which have been proven to be easily updated or expanded to incorporate new features and capabilities, are increasingly adopted to ensure long-term business relevance and utility. 

Conclusion 

In this second installment of our blog series, we demonstrated how Hexagon’s Five-Level Process Architecture provides a robust framework for aligning HCD principles with process architecture and translating those principles into explicit design requirements for connected worker solutions. This architecture offers a stable foundation for systematically designing connected solutions, diagnosing issues, and collecting continuous feedback, ensuring cohesion across all process levels. 

This framework not only enhances the concept of human-centeredness but also advances our understanding of the evolving ecosystem of people and work, especially with the increasing complexity brought by advanced automation.  

By aligning people-related goals with process design and management, organizations can develop connected worker solutions that: 

• Enhance Safety and Performance: HCD ensures solutions are designed with a deep understanding of user workflows and pain points, promoting streamlined operations and reducing errors.

• Improve Worker Experience: By focusing on users’ needs and preferences, HCD creates intuitive and personalized tools that align with how workers naturally interact with technology, boosting satisfaction and adoption.

• Gain a Strategic Advantage: HCD fosters continuous feedback and improvements, ensuring connected worker solutions remain aligned with organizational goals and drive innovation. 

By translating HCD principles into connected solution requirements, organizations can create connected worker solutions that deliver the intended results, keeping them competitive in the digital age by empowering their workforce and driving operational excellence. 

Ready to transform your organization? Contact Hexagon today to learn more about its Five-Level Process Architecture and how it can help achieve your Industry 4.0 goals. 

What’s Next? 

Installment number three of this blog series will explore the Technology Layer, where process insights are translated into technological requirements. We’ll dive deep into how technology choices impact operational success and how misaligned decisions often disrupt workflows and performance. Stay tuned! 

Resources: 

• Empowering Industrial Evolution: The Four Layers of Hexagon’s Connected Worker Ecosystem – Part 1: The Strategic Layer 
• Hexagon’s Human-Centered Connected Worker Ecosystem: Bridging Data and Experience – On-Demand Webinar