| Summary: | Since the 1950s, failures in the development of anthropocentric technologies have suggested that general design principles open the way for socio-technical projects. However, the latter do not sufficiently integrate the social, subjective and technical aspects underlying every kind of industrial project. This article shows how the “course of action” theory, which is part of the “activity” field of ergonomics, supports this integration. This is achieved by demonstrating how the concepts and methods of the course of action theory, used to design new work situations when automating small hydroelectric power plants (SHPPs), leads to a broader empirical praxeology for addressing H-H (training) and H-M (automation) interfaces, or H-H-M systems. Theoretically, this article contributes to the technological pole of the Course of Action Research Programme, while in practical terms it warns Industry 4.0 professionals not to repeat the old myth (and expression) of the “unmanned factory”.
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