Faith Group understands the importance of planning communication centers well in advance of their physical design and technology procurement. Understanding how the center will operate is the first step to a successful transition into an operations, integrated, or emergency communication facility. Regardless of the name placed on it, the business processes and operational protocols must be understood in advance. The business processes and representation planned within the facility drives the need for technology, systems, adjacencies, space requirements, layout, and growth planning. All of these inform the design and procurement of systems and technologies. Basically, the development of the center’s concept of operations (CONOPS) is step one and arguably the most important step.
Allocate Planning in Both Funding and Schedules
Faith Group suggests identifying planning funds in advance of center design, whether the project will reuse an existing facility or start as a green field, having a CONOPS plan developed at least a year prior will lend itself to a much smoother and cost-effective project. This might not be possible for some clients, for reasons such as governance, grants funds, etc. Regardless of size and complexity, having this effort called out as step one in the project is what’s ultimately important.
Understand and Incorporate Core Functions
It’s important clients make the right decisions for their business by understanding the critical functions and scenarios that the center must respond to and manage. Key decisions such as whether the National Incident Management System (NIMS) will be used for an emergency center or whether the communications center will function as a 911 call intake (PSAP), must be determined upfront. Representation within the center itself will represent the functions identified in the first few steps of planning. Adjacencies of organizations and departments within the center along with the sheer numbers of staff on a regular operation or the irregular operations (IROPS) days will drive the space requirements. Staffing levels for a 24-7 operation will drive support space needs.
Avoid Costly Change Orders
Far too often we’ve seen clients start design and specification development for technology procurement in advance of this needed planning. This premature effort might be the result of a capital program that is based on industry comparisons and past experiences, rather than specific identified needs. Unfortunately, centers that start design first ultimately end up with change orders for rework of designs and specifications development, thus costing the client substantial money to correct mistakes or account for needed changes and epiphanies along the way. The need for the planning efforts up front cannot be understated.
Plan for Irregular Operations and Emergency Events
Planning for emergency events at the center itself must also be accomplished which will inform the design as far as redundant systems, structural considerations, and security. A threat and vulnerability assessment is the right way to approach this effort and should be considered one of the first steps in CONOPS planning. Whether it’s for earthquakes, tornados and severe weather events, or terrorist threats, designing and planning the building with these threats mitigated and or minimized is also vitally important for the long-term viability of the center. Doing this work up front saves money, time, and frustration on the backend.
Conclusion
Whether you are planning to build an integrated, security, emergency, or communications center, regardless of the name or primary role, a well-planned CONOPS helps to build buy-in from the users and community at large, as well as saving money, time, and frustration. Plan and be specific! Knowing why you need what you need will go a long way to a successful communication facility.
Faith Group can help you with CONOPS development & planning using our team of highly experienced business analysts and subject matter experts that have worked on 40+ similar centers across various markets from aviation to transit and government. We can develop the business process and procedures, document them as one cohesive program requirements document or CONOPS, and then compare the design and specification development against this document all along the way to set you up for success on your project. If you would like to learn more about how we can help, contact Dave Fleet.
Dave Fleet
Director of Operations, Principal
davef@faithgroupllc.com