No abstract

As defence planning and management evolves from a platform‐centric, threat‐based approach toward a capability‐based paradigm, the need for a rigorous approach to systems engineering at the capability level is amplified. This is because capability‐based plans incorporate system‐of‐systems configurations with varying developmental timeframes that must deliver interoperable effects on the battlefield. In addressing this challenge, a capability‐based planning construct is being examined within the Department of National Defence. This construct is supported by integrating and enabling concepts like enterprise architectures, system‐of‐systems engineering principles and capability metrics. While an architecture framework is useful for developing functional requirements of a capability, a metric framework, as this paper contends, can be used as a guide for defining and articulating desired quality characteristics. This paper describes the concept of a capability metric framework, and how it has been applied to define capability goals and evaluate implementation options.