UPDMRTF — Profile and Tooling should enforce the Proper Specification of Capabilities

It would help if the tools flagged or restricted Capability definition to encourage the definition of:

• Effects and metrics
• Activities involved
• Conditions under which conducted
• Performer (optional – often not known during pre-MS A)
• Desirer of the Effect (optional)

Rationale from Dave McDaniels:

Capabilities vs Activities. As you know, the DM2 Capability model is built about the JCIDS definition and centers around effects (resource states) that are measureable (have metrics so you can tell if they've happened) and is produced by ways (Activities) and means (Performers) under specified Conditions (i.e., PMESII, DIME). Thus they are quite a bit different from Activities which transform inputs to outputs or change their state. Many comments are being generated and much argument and rework because many CV's are missing pieces or are clearly Activities being described, not Capabilities. For example, I just turned in a comment on the IdAM RA on their CV in which they defined the Capabilities in terms of their Inputs, Controls, Outputs, and Mechanisms – ICOM – the exact prescription for Activities in IDEF0.

Note that a PES file that did not have the required pieces and that claimed to contain CV information would fail validation. Also note the DoDAF-DM2 formulation of CV's fits the JCIDS-DAS-SE processes by linking ICD threshold and objective attributes and CDD/CPD KPP/KSA/OSA to the CV's and to the T&E process by aligning the architecture and JCIDS documents to test metrics. This method was also designed to allow flow down of operational metrics (MOEs) to SV/SvcV (e.g., SV-7) metrics (MOPs). It also aligns with training since UJTL tasks have measure types (several defined per task), UJTLs map to JCAs, and JCAs are the organizing construct for ICD attributes and are also required in CDD/CPD. There are probably many other elements of architecture and systems engineering that align by defining Capabilities the way we did in DoDAF. DoD CIO A&I and Joint Staff J6 are in very close agreement on all this.