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Concept of Operations Step Description
In this step the project stakeholders reach a shared understanding of the system to be developed and how it will be operated and maintained. The Concept of Operations (ConOps) is documented to provide a foundation for more detailed analyses that will follow.
Purpose
The purpose of the Concept of Operations is to clearly convey a high-level view of the system to be developed that each stakeholder can understand. A good Concept of Operations answers who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about the project from the viewpoint of each stakeholder. To accomplish this the concept of operations will provide a high-level identification of user needs and system capabilities in terms that all project stakeholders can understand as well as discuss the interrelationships between stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities for the system.
Activities
Some of the key activities required to develop a Concept of Operations are:
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Identify the stakeholders associated with the system/project. One of the first steps in developing a Concept of Operations is to make sure all the stakeholders – owners, operators, maintainers, users, etc. – are identified and involved. Only through stakeholder involvement can a system that meets user needs and expectations be developed.
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Develop a high level description of the system. This system description is the initial view of the scope of the system. This can be created by identifying portions of the regional ITS architecture, or making use of outputs of the feasibility study or concept exploration. This is not a detailed view of the system, but an initial high level description.
- Define stakeholder needs. Probably the most important activity of this step is to identify what stakeholder needs the system will satisfy. Giving adequate time and effort to identifying needs is critical to the success of the project and is one of the guiding principles of the system engineering process itself.
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Develop Operational Scenarios. Operational scenarios describe how the system will be operated under various conditions. They describe the activities of the system from the viewpoint of the stakeholders. Defining these scenarios is one of the best ways to uncover the underlying stakeholder needs for the system.
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Define system performance measures to support validation/acceptance. One additional activity that a good Concept of Operations will include is development of an initial set of performance measures. These force early consideration and agreement on how project success will be measured.
Needs may be tied to alternative technologies and solutions. A good example this mapping is shown in Table 1 [p., 7] of this Guide for Acquiring Demand Responsive Transit Software and Technology. http://www2.calact.org/assets/pdf/toolbox/penn-software-guide.pdf.
Related Resources
Chapter 4.3, Concept of Operations Systems Engineering for Intelligent Transportation Systems, January 2007
http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/seitsguide/section4.htm#s4.3
Cost: Free
Concept of Operations Template – Appendix R, Florida's Statewide Systems Engineering Management Plan, Version 2, Florida Department of Transportation, March 2005
http://www.floridaits.com/SEMP/Files/PDF_Report/ApxR.pdf
Cost: Free
Concept of Operations
Systems Engineering Guidebook for ITS, California Department of Transportation Division of Research and Innovation, January 2007
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/cadiv/segb/views/document/Sections/Section3/3_4_3.htm
Cost: Free
IEEE Guide for Information Technology-System Definition-Concept of Operations (ConOps) Document, IEEE Std 1362-1998
Cost: (price may range from $62 - $93 depending on retail source)
Note: Much of the material on this page was extracted from http://www.itslessons.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/LessonSystemsEng.
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