Sociotechnical Systems

Sociotechnical Systems

Sociotechnical Systems

Sociotechnical Systems (STS) are networks of people, technologies, and methods that enable enterprises to achieve goals with shared infrastructure and culture.

Aptima applies the following five techniques to define and develop STS within Science and Technology programs:

  • Organizational Designs: Evolve programmatic structure to optimize allocation of resources (people, technologies, capabilities, etc.) across tasks
  • Charters and Contracts: Implement collaboration contracts to facilitate knowledge sharing
  • Challenge Problems: Coordinate the design and selection of challenge problems that operationalize program goals and guide S&T work
  • Activity Design & Leadership: Design and orchestrate program activities that support integration and collaboration
  • Training and Coaching: Provide training and coaching to foster collaboration among inter-disciplinary teams and team members

Aptima has applied these techniques to DARPA’s Synergistic Discovery and Design (SD2) program to accelerate scientific discovery and design in synthetic biology and materials chemistry. SD2 achieved three-fold to 20-fold improvements in the speed of research, the quantity of research material processed, the complexity of research objects (e.g., proteins, biological circuits), the accuracy of research findings, and the efficiency of human labor.

Watch the STS video below to learn more about the SD2 Sociotechnical System from the perspectives of the program leadership and its many performers.