IEEE 7000 IEEE7000-ConceptExploration-Context-OperationalEnvironment: IEEE 7000 Clause 5.1 - Concept Exploration + Context + Operational Environment + Use Cases + System Definition

Clause 5.1 establishes Concept Exploration - the foundational step where the system context + boundaries + operational environment are defined. Per public IEEE 7000-2021 abstract + Wikipedia + academic literature on Value-Based Engineering (full IEEE text NOT reproduced): system purpose + scope + use cases + operational environment + sociotechnical context; intended users + non-users + affected parties + power dynamics + market context; technology maturity + technical constraints + organisational constraints + regulatory environment + cultural setting; identifying potential ethical concerns at concept level + sociotechnical risks; differentiation between intended and unintended uses; emergent behaviours; lifecycle stages (development + deployment + operation + decommissioning + post-decommissioning effects). The concept exploration provides foundation for subsequent value elicitation + ethical requirements definition + ethical risk assessment. Coordinates with system engineering practices including ISO/IEC 15288 (Systems and Software Engineering - System Life Cycle Processes) + ISO/IEC 12207 (Software Life Cycle Processes) + INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook + IEEE Std 1220 + Concept of Operations (ConOps) + Operational Concept Document (OCD) + Stakeholder Requirements Specification (StRS); Industry 4.0 + sociotechnical systems + responsible innovation + science and technology studies (STS). IEEE 7000 Concept Exploration applies.