Operational Capability Advancement Through Open Architecture Application - Flipbook - Page 5
1: Maintain Operational Effectiveness Throughout
System Lifecycle
Historically, requirements are set at the beginning of a program and then the system goes through development and into-service
testing. Often during this time, new requirements emerge because of technological advancement or changes in the operational
environment. Therefore, the system may enter service with reduced operational effectiveness that presents an unacceptable
risk. This situation may require early upgrades to mitigate. Systems naturally decline over time, with upgrades being so expensive and disruptive that the system is maintained at a consistent baseline until an urgent operational requirement appears – for
example, the introduction of disruptive technology in the operational environment. When this happens, system operational
effectiveness is instantly reduced and systems are operating at high risk, without a mitigation being integrated. In fact, the
system is likely to have been operating at this increased risk before anyone was aware of the threat. Due to the lack of modularity, portability, and insuf昀椀cient Government data rights, mitigation takes some time before the affected systems operate at an
acceptable risk. Due to the lack of periodic upgrades, the mid-life upgrade is likely to be expensive and have individual systems
out of service for lengthy periods during upgrade.
Figure 1: OA Maintaining Operational Effectiveness
Figure 1 shows the introduction of modular architecture design, portable components, and appropriate Government data rights.
This enables emergent requirements to be met ef昀椀ciently during design and development meaning the into-service release is
effective in its operating environment, allowing smaller and more localized upgrades to be contracted and integrated ef昀椀ciently,
and mitigating responses to urgent operational requirements can be more readily integrated. This allows more frequent, smaller
upgrades through the system’s life, meaning the mid-life upgrade is smaller and the modular architecture and data rights enable
it to be completed more ef昀椀ciently with reduced time out of service for each system.
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