TLIM Plan

The work of the various NATO CALS Workshops has highlighted a need for an Shared Data Environment (SDE) which supports the systems engineering process through which technical data can be collected, managed, and used to support concurrent engineering, continuous design and program reviews, and can be continued into the operational phase of a Defence System’s life cycle.

The mechanism for developing and supporting this Shared Data Environment is an Through Life Information Management Plan (TLIMP). This TLIMP is necessary in order to provide an orderly transition of information and data requirements throughout a Defence System’s life cycle. As will be discussed, there are a number of different owner’s of the data throughout the evolution of a Defence System, and the ability transition, in an orderly manner, from one ‘owner’ to another is key to providing life cycle support to a Defence System.

Even if an SDE cannot be created for this specific program, an TLIMP will be needed to address the orderly management of information. In such case the TLIMP should address the specifics of data exchange and Interchange Specifications.

Like the need to develop logistics support early on in a program’s life cycle to better design a Defence System, the concept of an SDE needs to be agreed upon early as well. The actions of the information management group closely parallel those of all the other design, logistics, and production engineers, and cannot be considered as a separate activity. The products of the information systems engineers need to be fully supportive of and used by the other traditional engineering disciplines. The means for achieving this is the use of an Information Management Plan, and the concurrent development of both a data, software and hardware infrastructure to support the program management, engineering, and logistics data needs. Early buy-in of this concept is essential for the successful implementation of an integrated CALS-supported environment.

By achieving this Shared Data Environment, the other benefits of concurrent engineering, continuous review and approval processes, and better configuration management can be attained. The SDE provides the structure and the mechanism on which the Defence Systems technical data will reside.

The figure below shows the relationships of each phase in a product life cycle to its associated information management planning function and activity.

Program Phase	Major Program Functions
Preconcept	No major information management planning requirements.
Advance planning and conceptual design [Concept]	Structure requirements capture, education and commitment for through life data capture and use by project planning team, development of through life information management planning documentation. Evaluation of information management concepts, development of a through life business model for the program or project, development of a Concept of Operations.
Advance development and preliminary system design [Demonstration and Validation]	Development of information management planning specifications, development of data specifications and data architecture, development of information architecture to support through life operational data support.
Detail design and development [Full Scale Development]	Implement information management plans, initiate production and capture of technical product data, initiate implementation of information architecture.
Production and/or construction [Production]	Utilise information infrastructure to capture and distribute product and manufacturing data (as required).
System use and life cycle support (consumer) [Deployment and Operations]	Implement interfaces with operational support activities; capture, analyse and distribute logistics operational effectiveness data; analyse operational data for design updates; update information management plan (as required).
System retirement [Disposal]	Archive information management planning documentation, archive data architecture and technical data, retire and/or dispose of information infrastructure (as required).

The scope of the information to be covered by the IMP is up to the individual program. However, clearly to identify and standardise all of the information on a program is too unwieldy an effort and not necessary from a NATO perspective. The NATO CALS focus is on through-life product identification and in-service logistics support. In particular NATO is focused on keeping the product related technical information to support these business functions in synchronisation with the changing product.

NATO is developing a NATO CALS Data Model to support the following product related technical data and information:

Through Life Information Managment Plan