This tutorial assumes that the value of systems may be defined in terms of the performance envelope, and therefore, the challenge of system design may be expressed in terms of reducing the risks of both costly and minor incidences.

According to the first principle of cybernetics, realized in the System Theoretic Analysis Method and Process (STAMP) methodology, the system should enforce its own operation according to rules. Rule-based models enforce mitigating the risk of operational complexity. This principle is difficult to follow when the rules are implicit or vague, as is typical of socio-technical systems (STS). This results in unexpected incidences. Unexpected incidences are often due to improper system integration. When the results are costly, they are often attributed to operator errors. It is a design goal to protect the system from insane unexpected activity.

The framework proposed comprises a model and an architecture of rule-based client-server integration, a software-oriented hyper-model of the server, and a server controller obtained by customizing a digital twin of the server. The server hyper-model extends a model of a universal operation controller proposed for the special case of human-system integration (HSI). This architecture supports critical client-server control challenges, such as providing previews of upcoming situations, evaluation of decision options, and assisting in the server troubleshooting.

The coordination between the client and the server is based on the concepts of system scenarios and the server operational modes. These concepts enable direct mapping from the client tasks to the server activity. Utility-critical systems should incorporate means, including sensors and data analytics, for informing the operators and the developers about integration flaws.

In addition, the framework comprises a waterfall model of transdisciplinary cooperation in the STS integration.