1. A method of constructing a management base of a communications network, said communications network comprising: a plurality of components, each component comprising a unit of manufacture providing a functionality within said network, and which is capable of being managed individually as a discrete entity; said plurality of components arranged into a plurality of assemblies of components, each said assembly arranged to cooperate with other said assemblies, and each said assembly capable of being managed as a whole; said method comprising the steps of: representing an overall functionality of said network by an application model, in which each said function of said network is modeled independently of its implementation within said network; decomposing said application model into an implementation model, in which every function represented by said application model is represented in said implementation model; representing said application model as a first plurality of objects; modeling a connectivity layering between individual modeled functions within said application model; representing said implementation model as a second plurality of objects; connecting said first plurality of objects with said second plurality of objects to obtain a combined object model; and constructing said management base in accordance with said combined object model.