Bolded words or phrases are key terms or acronyms defined under References or concepts discussed in NASA-STD-7009 or NASA-HDBK-7009.

While the Pre-A Phase of the M&S Life Cycle is essentially getting things started for M&S Development, the major efforts in development start in Phase A, which picks up the preliminary information gathered in Model Initiation and finalizes the M&S’s requirements for M&S design.

The details of model design, in the form of conceptual models, possible drawings, etc., are accomplished and reviewed (i.e., conceptually validated) in Phase B, prior to implementation in Phase C. When implementation is completed, testing of the M&S in Phase D consists of first verification, then empirical validation, and, when successfully completed, the model is released.

The permissible uses (i.e., formal statement of M&S uses (limits of operation or use) as determined during development and testing) accompanies the M&S upon release, which should be included in the M&S User’s Guide along with assumptions and criteria for use. NASA-HDBK-7009, Appendix C, shows a content outline for an M&S User’s Guide.

NASA M&S Development References:

Topic	NASA-STD-7009A	NASA-HDBK-7009A
M&S Development	Section 4.2	Sections 4.6, 5 – 5.5
M&S User’s Guide		Appendix C

M&S User’s Guide Content

1. General Information

1. Table of Contents, Figures, and Tables.
2. User’s Guide Revision History.
3. Model applicable glossary.
4. Model applicable acronyms.
5. Model applicable references.

2. Model Identification

1. Official model name (or designator).
2. Applicable revision.
3. Description of model.
4. Location of the model and relevant artifacts repository.

3. Intended Use (see section 5.1.1.2 of this NASA Technical Handbook)

1. What the model is.
2. What the model is used for (i.e., its purpose).
3. What the model should not be used for.

4. M&S Conceptual Diagram (Conceptual Model)

1. Model Contents.
2. Sequence of Processes & Computations (as needed).
3. Description of Model Capabilities.
4. Sources and General Description of Key Equations and Systems of Equations to use (or used) in the model; especially those most critical to modeling the RWS or those that could prove difficult to implement.

5. Technical Background of How the Model Works

1. M&S Architectural Diagram.
2. Primary Governing Concepts (possibly equations and systems of equations), along with their pedigree of use.
3. M&S Abstractions & Assumptions.
4. How uncertainties are handled in
   1. The construction of the model.
   2. The use of the model.
      1. In the Input.
      2. In the Output.
5. Technical Metrics
   1. Accuracy and Precision of the Released Model.
   2. Model Setup criteria to obtain desired level of accuracy or precision.
6. User Interface.

6. Permissible Uses of the Model, as constrained by

1. The Intended Use.
2. Limits of Operation (boundary conditions for model use):
   1. As Designed, determined by:
   1. Assumptions.
   2. Modeling choices.
   3. As Verified.
   4. As Validated.
   5. Include Obsolescence Criteria.

7. Processes for Model Use

1. Model Use/Analysis Plan.
   1. Suggestions from a “model perspective” of what to include in the Use/Analysis Plan, with the Developer’s Scope of Use in mind.
2. Use Assessment.
3. Setup.
   1. M&S Architectural Diagram.
   2. Requirements and Instructions for setting up (installing) the model for use.
4. Inputs.
   1. What all the inputs are.
   2. What the permissible range for each input is.
5. User Interface.
6. Use.

8. Expected Results from Use

1. Example Results (Samples).
2. Comparison with referent empirical data.
   Provide examples of results with good and poor comparison to referent data.
3. Uncertainties with upper and lower bounds in the overlay of plotted data.
   1. Associated input uncertainties with their pedigree.
4. Potential Areas of Sensitivity.

9. Other M&S Development Information Relevant to M&S Use

1. Potential Caveats.
   1. Unachieved Acceptance Criteria.
   2. Waivers to Development Requirements.
2. Development Related Credibility Factors
   1. Data Pedigree.
   2. Verification.
   3. Validation.
   4. M&S (Revision) History.
   5. M&S Process/Product Management.
3. Potential areas of Risk.
4. Findings from Technical Reviews.
5. Where to find Development Artifacts.

10. Operator/User/Analyst Requirements/Recommendations

1. Education.
2. Experience.
3. Training.

11. Developer Qualifications

12. Help

1. Where to go for help.
   Include website or info location where there are FAQs, etc., that may also lead a user to a CM/repository system (section 2d) where the files are stored.
2. Who to Contact for Help, Comment, or Suggestions.
   1. M&S Developer.
   2. Configuration Manager.