4.1.1 Roles of the Program Manager
In the context of this Standard, the Program Manager's primary role is to ensure environmental engineering considerations are addressed systematically, thoroughly, and effectively at appropriate times throughout the materiel acquisition process. The process for accomplishing this integration is diagrammed on Figure 1-1. An associated role is to ensure environmental effects information is documented, available, and communicated from one program phase to another.
4.1.2 Guidance for Program Managers
- a. DOD 5000-series documents call for a total systems approach through systems engineering, considering all life cycle needs, including storage, transport, and operation in natural environments (DODD 5000.01). Specifically, they call for a description of how performance in natural environmental conditions representative of the intended area of operations will be tested. This includes identifying test beds that are critical to determine if developmental test objectives are achieved, taking into account such stressors as temperature, vibration (random or sinusoidal), pressure, humidity, fog, precipitation, clouds, electromagnetic environment, blowing dust and sand, icing, wind conditions, steep terrain, wet soil conditions, high sea state, storm surge and tides, etc. (DODI 5000.02). The environmental tailoring process shown on Figure 1-3, and the generalized life cycle environmental profile on Figures 1-4a and b use systems engineering approaches, helping to ensure that system design and test criteria are tailored to environmental conditions within which materiel systems are to operate.
MIL-STD-810H
PART ONE
Figure description:
Figure 1-3. Environmental test program tailoring process
| Process Step | Description / Action |
|---|---|
| System Requirements Documents | Initial input for the tailoring process. |
| Natural Environments Characteristics | Identify natural environment characteristics for regions where the item will be deployed. |
| Item Platform Characteristics | Identify characteristics of platforms (vehicles, surfaces, or media on which the item is carried or operated.) |
| Platform Environments | Define environments based on: A Natural environment forcing functions; B Forcing functions induced by the platform itself. |
| Design Requirements | Tailor design requirements to platform environment characteristics affecting item effectiveness and integrity. |
| Test Procedures | Tailor test methods and procedures to platform environments and design requirements. |
Key Notes:
- Meteorological Data: Must be carefully vetted for relevance to specific materiel as it is not typically collected with military hardware in mind.
- Platform Definition: Includes any vehicle, surface, or medium carrying the materiel (e.g., aircraft, land, or a person.
Figure 1-3. Environmental test program tailoring process.
- b. As indicated on Figure 1-1, there may be times that the Program Manager has valid alternatives to testing actual hardware or hardware prototypes when conducting laboratory, development, or operational tests. These alternatives include, but are not necessarily limited to, using simulation to reduce the costs involved in producing and testing hardware prototypes, using coupon samples instead of entire systems when specific materials are the central acquisition issue, and using analytical procedures such as verification by similarity to systems already tested and approved. An Environmental Engineering Specialist (EES) can aid Program Managers to establish an engineering basis for selecting such alternatives. When these alternatives are selected, Task 401, Environmental Engineering Management Plan, must contain the rationale for their selection, including an explanation of expected cost savings, other benefits and risks to system effectiveness/safety. (See Part One, Annex A, Task 401; and Annex B, paragraph F.)
- c. Whole Life Assessment (WLA) principles should be considered by the Program Manager during the development of a test program as a means to assess an item's safety, reliability, and performance throughout its intended life. WLA should include both an initial test program prior to entering service followed by a surveillance program while the item is in service. Initial testing may consist of Qualification and if applicable, Safe and Suitable for Service (S3) testing. In assessing the results of the initial test program, it is necessary to assign some form of service life to the item. This is a prediction of the amount of environmental stress the item should be able to withstand without degrading to an unsafe condition based on a risk assessment. These predictions are less likely to be valid the longer an item stays outside of a controlled storage environment as the environment becomes more variable. A well-defined and regimented surveillance plan such as In Service Surveillance (ISS) or a Stockpile Reliability Program (SRP) provides the means by which initial service life estimations can be confirmed, or modified, to ensure safe and reliable use throughout the required service life. There are two commonly accepted approaches to WLA. One approach would be to conduct initial qualification and S3 (if applicable) testing consistent with the LCEP followed by a well-defined and regimented surveillance plan such as In Service Surveillance (ISS) or a Stockpile Reliability Program (SRP). The other would be to expose the item to greater stresses than would be normally encountered in its life cycle
MIL-STD-810H
during the initial test program followed by a less rigorous surveillance plan. Both approaches are acceptable and have equal merit providing they are approved by the appropriate authority.
The following paragraphs, organized by major acquisition documents, capsulize environmental effects information for Program Managers and serve as background information for design engineers, test engineers, and environmental engineering specialists. Annex B provides detailed direction for Program Managers.
4.1.2.1 Concept of Operation (CONOPS)
A Concept of Operations (CONOPS) is a verbal or graphic statement of a commander's assumptions or intent in regard to an operation or series of operations as defined by Joint Publication 1-02 DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. It's designed to give an overall picture of an operation.
In Acquisitions, a CONOPS is used to examine current and new and/or proposed capabilities required to solve a current or emerging problem. It describes how a system will be used from the viewpoints of its various stakeholders. This provides a bridge between the often vague capabilities that a project begins with and the specific technical requirements needed to make is successful. A CONOPS is a useful tool that helps the user community write/refine their Initial Capabilities Documents (ICD), System Requirements Document (SRD) and Capabilities Development Documents (CDD). There are several reasons for developing a Concept of Operations:
- a. Get stakeholder agreement identifying how the system is to be operated, who is responsible for what, what are the lines of communication;
- b. Define the high-level system concept and justify that it is superior to the other alternatives;
- c. Define the environment in which the system will operate;
- d. Derive high-level requirements in the ICD and CDD;
- e. Provide the criteria to be used for validation of the completed system
Checklist: Critical Information for developing a CONOPS
- a. Is the reason for developing the system clearly stated?
- b. Are all the stakeholders identified and their anticipated roles described?
- c. Are alternative operational approaches described and the selected approach justified?
- d. Is the external environment described?
O
- Does it include required interfaces to existing systems?
- e. Is the support environment described?
O
- Does it include maintenance?
- f. Is the operational environment described?
4.1.2.2 System Requirements Document (SRD)
The SRD defines system level functional and performance requirements for a system. The SRD is derived from the Concept of Operations (CONOPS), system-level performance metrics, mission threads/use cases, and usage environment and is developed by the program office. It's developed during the Technology Development (TD) Phase. When required, the SRD may also be known as the system performance specification or the system specification.
In identifying required capabilities and critical system characteristics, the CDD describes mission, storage, handling, and transport scenarios that the materiel will experience throughout its service life as shown on Figures 1-4a & b. In so doing, broad performance requirements (e.g., design for worldwide deployment) that may conflict with tailored issues can be avoided. This input to the CDD, covering natural and man-made environments and expected mission capabilities in those environments, is derived from the fundamental aspects of a Life Cycle Environmental Profile (LCEP). The LCEP, prepared through the assistance of an EES as described in Task 402 in Part One, Annex A, supports development of the CONOPS, SRD, ICD, CDD and the CPD.
4.1.2.3 Initial Capabilities Document (ICD)
The ICD, superseded the old Mission Needs Statement, documents one or more new capability requirements and associated capability gaps. The ICD also documents the intent to partially or wholly address identified capability
gap(s) with a non-materiel solution, materiel solution, or some combination of the two. An EES can assist the Program Manager in formulating this environmental effects input to the ICD.
4.1.2.4 Capabilities Development Document (CDD)
The CDD, superseded the Operational Requirements Document, defines authoritative, measurable, and testable parameters across one or more increments of a materiel capability solution, by setting KPPs, KSAs, and additional performance attributes necessary for the acquisition community to design and propose systems and to establish programmatic baselines.
4.1.2.5 Capabilities Production Document (CPD)
The Capability Production Document (CPD) captures the information necessary to support production, testing, and deployment of an affordable and supportable increment within an acquisition strategy. The CPD identifies, in threshold/objective format, the specific attributes that contribute most significantly to the desired operational capability. The CPD is prepared during the Engineering, Manufacturing & Development (EMD) Phase to guide the Production and Deployment phase after the Critical Design Review (CDR) and is used to measure the contractor’s delivery. The CPD is required for the Milestone C Review and must be certified prior to a program proceeding into the Production and Development (PD) Phase.
4.1.2.6 System Engineering Management Plan (SEMP)
Program Managers integrate environmental technical considerations (effects of various environments on system performance and reliability) into the SEWP. The mechanism for accomplishing this integration is provided in Task 401 in the form of an Environmental Engineering Management Plan (EEMP) prepared with the assistance of an EES. The EEMP basically lays out a schedule for implementing the remaining environmental engineering tasks, Tasks 402 through 406.
4.1.2.7 Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP)
The TEMP includes plans for testing in natural (field/fleet) environments, simulated (laboratory) environments and a software model based environment. An EES assists the Program Manager in preparing the TEMP by developing an Environmental Test and Evaluation Master Plan (ETEMP), the preparation of which may be merged into the Integrated Test Program Schedule. Annex C provides information on the balance of field/fleet tests, laboratory tests, and modeling/simulation, and on the values chosen as design criteria or test criteria. Part Two of this Standard provides details for developing laboratory test procedures. Component parts of the ETEMP are Tasks 402 through 404. Thus, the ETEMP contains the following:
- a. Life Cycle Environmental Profile (LCEP) displaying the series of events, and environmental conditions derived from those events that materiel is expected to experience from manufacturing release to the end of its useful life. Include the system description in the TEMP. (See Task 402.)
- b. Operational Environment Documentation Plan (OEDP) outlining plans for obtaining specific natural or platform environment data to be used in developing tailored environmental test criteria. The OEDP does not have to be included in the TEMP, but is a necessary subtask within the ETMP for creating a valid basis for environmental test criteria. (See Task 403.)
- c. Environmental Issues and Criteria List (EICL) containing fundamental environmental design and test criteria derived from the tailoring process. Include criteria in the required technical and operational characteristics of the TEMP. Include related critical issues in the TT&E or OT&E outline of the TEMP. (See Task 404.)