Transportation Management Center Concepts of Operations

System MaintenanceThe concept of operations (perhaps more appropriately the concept ofmaintenance) should describe in equal detail the maintenance practicesnecessary to ensure completion of the TMC’s mission. In this document we willdescribe several components of the concept of operations, but will not attemptto fully treat the process of maintenance due to its complexity, and becausemuch of it is performed outside of the TMC.Configuration ManagementThe establishment and maintenance of an accurate and complete configurationdatabase for all elements of the TMC and field hardware and software (andpotentially vendor-provided services such as communications) is an essentialelement in conducting the maintenance program. These data are most easilyassembled as the system is installed, but maintenance and upkeep of thedatabase is necessary both as the system grows and as devices are altered andmoved, so that the database is able to link to the device location, and preferablyto its maintenance and performance history.The concept of operations typically describes at least the process of entering andmaintaining the configuration information in the database. It may go further todescribe the analysis and use of the data.The most common information in the configuration database regarding a deviceis its description, including manufacturer, model number, and serial number. Ifthe TMC performs its own maintenance on the device, the database mayinclude similar information on the major sub-units, such as the lens in a closedcircuittelevision camera or the network interface card in a workstation. Fordevices containing software, the database identifies the version of softwarecurrently loaded, the load date, who performed the load, and whatmodifications the new load contained.Configuration management may be performed as part of the routinemaintenance process, but the database will likely eventually become largeenough that a dedicated resource is required. The use of a purpose-builtapplication for managing the configuration data, and for performing theanalyses it can provide, is also typical of larger systems. Standard practices forconfiguration management have been documented, and may be available fromthe federal government, from private consultants, or from some institutions ofhigher learning.Agencies need to recognize both the importance of configuration management.Without configuration information, maintaining the highly technical equipmentwill become very difficult, and obtaining contract support, warranty repairs,spare parts, and upgrades will become very difficult. Making modifications tothe extensive software upon which TMCs depend will be equally difficult if nocurrent configuration information exists on the current code.4-47