Annex B: Annex B: concept of operations guidance
Annex B is informative guidance on the concept of operations.
What annex B asks
Annex B is informative guidance on the concept of operations. It explains the organization-level view of the intended operation and how it differs from the system operational concept in Annex A. The ConOps describes how an organization assumes and intends an operation, or a series of operations, to run; the OpsCon describes the operation of a specific system or set of systems. The annex helps a reader decide which document they need and what belongs in each.
Annex B is informative. It explains the concept of operations. It adds no requirement and an assessor cannot cite it as one.
Why it matters
The distinction matters because the two documents are often merged and then neither is complete. The ConOps bounds the operating space and the organizational intent; the OpsCon bounds the system. Annex B is guidance, not a requirement, so an assessor cannot cite it as one.
No clause level change is public for this unit; the DIS keeps the title and scope, and the requirement text is not released.
What good looks like
Use Annex B to write the organization-level context, then use Annex A for the system concept. Keep the two documents separate where the organization operates several systems. Cross-reference them so a reader can move between the levels.
Evidence an assessor asks for
The assessor will ask which document holds the organizational intent and which holds the system behaviour. A merged document makes the answer ambiguous.
- ConOps The organization's assumptions and intent for the operation, including the operating space and the capabilities
- OpsCon The system-level operational concept, written to the Annex A content
- Cross-reference The links between the ConOps and the OpsCon sections
- Boundary note A statement of which document holds which decision
Where it commonly fails
- The ConOps and OpsCon are the same file with two titles
- The ConOps describes the system, so the organization-level intent is lost
- Annex B is cited as a requirement in a conformance claim
What to do before the revision
Write a one-page boundary note before drafting either document. It is easier to separate the levels on paper than after both are written.
Read across
- A.2.1 OpsCon: general, title and preface
- A.2.6 OpsCon: concepts for the proposed system
- 5.2.3 Transformation of needs into requirements
- 6.3.3.4 Develop the operational concept
← A.2.8 OpsCon: appendices and glossary C Annex C: tailoring →
Source for annex B: ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2018, Annex B, retrieved 19 October 2026. The revision note rests on ISO page 94091. The requirement, evidence and gaps are written from our record. Every source.