Concept of Operations (CONOPS)

CONOPS is the operational story for how a system will be used: who operates it, when, in what environment, against what threat, alongside what other systems. It is the first artifact a systems-engineering team produces, and it drives every subsequent requirement. A weak CONOPS is the root cause of most failed aerospace programs. Without a clear answer to "what is the mission and how does this system actually get used," requirements engineering collapses into engineering bias. CONOPS-fluent Systems Engineers are the bridge between operators and the engineering organization. Roles where this matters: Systems Engineering, Mission Engineering, Program Management.