Standard 800:
Concept of Operations Document (ConOps)
- Purpose
- Definitions
- References
- When
to Use
- Format and Content
|
- Document the purpose of the system
- Identify the business needs that the system will
satisfy
- Document user expectations
- Describe the basic concepts behind the system
- Describe the system's characteristics and behaviours
from a user's point of view
- Indicate a range of acceptable solutions
|
An understanding of the following concepts and terms is
essential to the preparation of a concept of operations document:
concept of
operations
| [22] |
US Department of defence Data Item Description
DI-MCCR-80023 |
| [23] |
The Object Advantage - Business Process
Reengineering with Object Technology, Ivar Jacobson
Jacobson provides an excellent introduction to the
description of scenarios or "use cases" as he
calls them. |
| [24] |
IEEE P1362, Guide for Concept of Operations Document |
Use in the earliest stages of a project to document basic
system concepts.
This section provides the minimum requirements for the format
and content of the concept
of operations document. You can use it "as is" or
tailor it for your organization. What ever the result you should
require all authors to provide each section heading. If a
particular section heading is not applicable to the target
project it should be included and marked "not
applicable".
Concept
of Operations Document Table of Contents
1. Introduction
- Provide a system overview
- Define terms
- Specify referenced documents
- Describe the organization of the document
2. Business Need
Describe:
- The business problems that will be solved
- The business opportunities that will be created
- The existing systems that must be changed
- The organizational constraints that will placed on the
system
- Types of users that will interact with the system
3. System
Justification
- Describe shortcomings of current systems
- Indicate business benefits of new features
- Identify priorities for new features in terms of
essential, desirable and optional
- Include justification assumptions and constraints
4. System Concepts
Describe:
Functional Requirements
- The missions, features, capabilities and functions of the
system
- Major system components and interactions
- Operational environment including manual procedures
required
- Operational modes such as production, backup and
maintenance
- Interfaces with other systems
Non-functional Requirements
- Required performance characteristics such as response
time, throughput and data volumes
- Quality attributes such as availability, reliability and
usability
- Other considerations such as security, audit, safety and
failure modes in emergency situations
Deployment and Operational Requirements
- Deployment considerations such as acquisition of business
data to support the system including data cleansing and
loading
- The classes of users that will interact with the system
- Requirements for support of the system such as
maintenance organization and help desk
5. Operational
Scenarios
- Describe common modes of usage in terms of the work flow
of common business processes supported by the system.
- Describe common interactions with users and other systems
6. Business Impacts
Describe:
- The impact the system will have on current business
operations
- Changes in organizational structure required to deploy,
operate, maintain and support the system
7. Rationale
Describe the reasoning behind the selection of various
alternatives in terms of:
- Background and context
- Issues raised
- Positions taken
- Arguments for and against a position
- Assumptions the argument were based on
- Decisions taken
8. Conceptual
Model
Provide conceptual model representations (if used). Options
are:
Conceptual data
model
Conceptual
functional model
Conceptual object
model
Conceptual Data Model
Represent with an entity relationship
diagram identifying:
- Major business information subject areas
- Business entities and their attributes
- Relationships between entities
|
Conceptual Process Model
Represented with a data flow diagram identifying:
- System context
- Business processes
- Major data flows
- External entities (people and systems) that
interact with the process
- Data stores
|
Conceptual Object Model
Represent with a three component model:
- Component 1: The object model describing object
structure
- Component 2: The dynamic model describing control
structure
- Component 3: The functional model describing
functional structure
|
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Pty Ltd
Module: 800 v1.0 s_conops.htm
Updated: July 02, 2006