Improved Performance Research Integration Tool

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Human Research & Engineering Directorate developed the Improved Performance Research Integration Tool (IMPRINT) to support Manpower and Personnel Integration (MANPRINT) and Human Systems Integration (HSI). IMPRINT is a dynamic, stochastic, discrete event network modeling tool designed to help assess the interaction of Warfighter and system performance throughout the system lifecycle--from concept and design to field testing and system upgrades.

IMPRINT can be used to help set realistic system requirements; to identify soldier-driven constraints on system design; and to evaluate the capability of available manpower and personnel to effectively operate and maintain a system under environmental stressors. IMPRINT is also used to target Warfighter performance concerns in system acquisition; to estimate Soldier-centered requirements early, and to make those estimates count in the decision making process. As a research tool, IMPRINT incorporates task analysis, workload modeling, performance shaping and degradation functions and stressors, and embedded personnel characteristics data.

While previous versions of IMPRINT focused on Army missions, IMPRINT Pro is a tri-service tool with the capability to examine Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, and Joint missions and systems.

How does IMPRINT Pro work?

 IMPRINT Pro uses Micro Saint Sharp, an embedded discrete event task network modeling language, as its engine. Task-level information is used to construct or parameterize networks representing the flow, performance time and accuracy for operational or maintenance missions.

IMPRINT Pro has four modules.

• The Warfighters module is used to estimate the type of individuals who will be available to operate and maintain the system.
• The Missions module is used to estimate the effect of operator performance on system performance (time, accuracy and/or mental workload effects).
• The Equipment module is used to estimate the maintenance man-hours required to attain acceptable system availability.
• The Forces module is used to estimate the manpower needed to complete the routine and unplanned work performed by a force unit (large group).

IMPRINT Pro is used to model both crew and individual Soldier performance. For some analyses, workload profiles are generated so that crew-workload distribution and Soldier-system task allocation can be examined. In other cases, maintainer utilization is assessed along with the resulting system availability. Also, using embedded algorithms, IMPRINT Pro models the effects of personnel characteristics, training frequency, and environmental stressors on the overall system performance. Manpower requirements estimates can be generated for a single system, a unit, or service-wide. IMPRINT Pro outputs can be used as the basis for estimating manpower lifecycle costs.

How do you get IMPRINT?

IMPRINT is available free of charge via download and to the following organizations:

• U.S. government agencies
• U.S. private industry with U.S. government contract
• U.S. colleges and universities working in Human System Integration

In order to receive a copy of IMPRINT, please download, complete and return the following forms.

• ARL Non-Distribution Agreement Form This agreement simply specifies that distribution of models and simulations to foreign governments and firms is subject to special review and that this software is not to be distributed to any third parties, U.S. or foreign, without approval from ARL HRED.
• IMPRINT User Information Form - This information is stored in our user database and is used to track the number of IMPRINT users and provides a way to contact users when updates to the software are available.

For more information or questions, email ARL HRED at imprint-info@arl.army.mil.