Many major system implementation projects make the mistake of beginning with a functional requirements analysis, or even worse, with the selection of a software technology. However, before either of these two is carried out, a system should originate from a Concept of Operations (ConOps).
In short, a ConOps describes the overall characteristics of a proposed system from the user's point of view, but when it is done well, it does so much more than that. First of all, the new ConOps ties the organization's mission and key performance indicators to the purpose of the system, then justifies the new system in terms of why the current state cannot support this mission. Using these justifications as a guideline, the ConOps then describes the system's scope, interfaces, and needs of the system not only from the user's view, but also from the varied perspectives of data, networks, processes and security. Finally, a ConOps provides an analysis of the specific impacts on the organization as well as a roadmap on how the system and its changes should be rolled out to the organization.
An organization can achieve tremendous value in the up-front investment developing, documenting and communicating the information in a ConOps. Perhaps most importantly, the ConOps accomplishes organizational buy-in up and down the chain of command. It does this by explaining a clear justification for the change, delineating scope of the new system and communicating the impact of the system on various aspects of the organization. Finally, with an audience receptive and knowledgeable of the change, an organization can then allows its business analysts to discover detailed functional and system requirements using the ConOps as their playbook.