Concept Development

CONOPS

"We have to figure out how we will [operate] before we decide what to buy."
General John Jumper, former Chief of Staff, USAF

Concept development consulting has been one of our specialties for more than two decades. WBB is proud of the fact that for over 20 years, government and industry clients have relied on WBB when they needed help developing a Concept of Operations (CONOPS). During the early stages of concept development, technology development, or system development, WBB clients find themselves struggling to achieve a clear vision of the future environment and a realistic operational context. For a government customer, the problem may be a lack of either time or in-house resources to dedicate to the difficult conceptual task of producing a viable operational concept. Industry customers, on the other hand, often need surrogate warfighter expertise, a broader, more operationally-focused viewpoint, or help bridging the gap between engineering, analytical, and operational perspectives. In all these situations, WBB has the immediately available expertise, time, proven processes, and track record in Concept Development to help.

A WBB developed CONOPS is invaluable when the client needs to:

Clarify emerging requirements
"Operationalize" new technologies or future concepts
Establish a Joint force perspective, or a clearer understanding of how a system contributes to capabilities required by the future Joint force
Provide a common frame of reference for design trade-offs and developmental or programmatic decisions
Achieve consensus among system developers, requirements and acquisition communities, and the operational customer
Develop operationally credible scenarios (sometimes called "TACSITS") for modeling , simulation, and experimentation
Identify key issues early, while there is time for resolution

Based on our years of experience developing a range of operational concepts for numerous clients (including the four military services, OSD, the Joint Staff, the Coast Guard and other agencies in the Department of Homeland Security, NASA, the Veterans Administration, and private industry), WBB now offers a variety of products and services which can be tailored to meet the needs of each client and situation. These concept development consulting products may include:

Regardless of the product, WBB's concept development efforts usually begin with a thorough investigation of the developmental system or emerging concept, as well as the operational considerations, support requirements and key system interfaces that go with it. We also work to capture the context for the CONOPS, which typically might include:

The projected geopolitical environment
The threat or challenges
The US force structure or legacy system(s)
The evolving doctrine, policy, etc.
The connectivity and information exchanges, and the enabling capabilities, which may be necessary for the system or concept to function as envisioned

We then, in effect, "overlay" new and emerging technologies onto valid operational requirements, in a future context. Through an iterative process with our customers and, if feasible, our "customer's customers", WBB assesses how the new system is likely to be employed in conjunction with other existing and developmental systems. A notable feature of the WBB process is "validation", a key consensus-building function. Validation of the CONOPS is typically accomplished across as many as four relevant communities—the operators/warfighters, the acquisition community, the system or concept designers, and the modelers and analysts. Each community provides unique insight for refinement of the CONOPS and, in the process, usually provides buy-in as well. The end result of a WBB CONOPS is a clearly conveyed and commonly accepted understanding of the potential warfighting value-added of the new concept, system or program.

Please feel free to contact us for additional information about WBB's Concept Development Consulting and CONOPS at: 703-448-6081 ext: 0