Advancing TSMO: Making the Business Case for Institutional, Organizational, and Procedural Changes
Part IV. Tailoring the Business Case to Specific Audiences
In making the business case for Institutional, Organizational, and Procedural (IOP) changes for Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO), it will be important to gain the support of a variety of stakeholders. This will require tailoring the business case to a variety of audiences throughout the agency and beyond the agency. Opportunities exist to make the case for advancing operations with several classes of stakeholders, each with their own understanding and influence in the process. This part provides key considerations for tailoring the business case to four critical audiences: agency leaders, management and staff, transportation partners, and the general public. These considerations include best practices and lessons learned from existing TSMO business cases in terms of tailoring the language, content, and format to these audiences.
Agency Leaders and Management
Given the critical role of top management leadership as described in part III, the TSMO business case for agency leaders and management should provide a clear rationale for TSMO and the role it plays as a complement to the existing capacity development, safety, and maintenance programs. Supporters have made it clear that TSMO does not substitute for capacity projects in its function to improve service, but that it can substantially improve the cost effectiveness and performance of existing and new capacity, often with only a marginal increase in cost. Moreover, this heightened cost effectiveness can improve the justification for capacity improvements. TSMO can increase the potential benefits from other programs as well. For example, TSMO can have substantial impacts on safety through strategies such as the use of variable message signing and other warning systems in providing real time information to the traveler. TSMO also can minimize the negative impacts of maintenance and reconstruction by ensuring safe and smooth traffic flow in and around work zones.
Given this, agencies might want to frame TSMO improvements as a cost effective way to complement more traditional transportation agency activities—such as roadway expansion and pavement condition maintenance—and highlight that adding TSMO projects to other transportation improvement projects enhances the impacts and cost effectiveness of both.
Technical detail and examples can be provided that allow agency leadership to feel confident in lending support to TSMO and that offer defensible arguments to move forward with IOP actions. The content of the business case for agency leaders and management may include several sections as described in this document. The business case provides the background for the changes and the objectives and changes needed to integrate TSMO, as well as discussions of proposed IOP actions, benefits, resources needed, and expected returns. It may also include a discussion of the risks associated with not making the recommended changes. A business case for agency leaders is tailored to the specific needs and culture of the organization and cannot be viewed as a one-size-fits-all document.
A business case for this audience is short and concise (two to four pages), and links to the overall agency mission, goals, and objectives. It includes examples of best practices and cost benefit justification tailored to the agency, with local examples if possible. The business case for agency management is simple, clear, and concisely presented providing specific direction on how and why the IOP changes to advance TSMO should occur. If possible, a link to an agency Web page or TSMO plan with more information is useful for those who pick up the business case and would like to know more.
Agency Staff
Many of the same considerations in regarding the interests and concerns noted above for leaders and management apply to the workforce as a whole, especially professional staff. Effective execution of whatever IOP changes may occur depends on the buy-in and cooperation of all of those involved at the staff level, since the day-to-day actions, communication, and cooperation occurs at the staff level. For professional staff, in particular, it is important to establish the value of their professional commitment to TSMO as a key component of job satisfaction. For this audience, a more extensive technical discussion is likely be helpful. One potential action to build professional staff understanding is to involve them in the development of the business case—especially since they may possess technical insight that may be important in developing the case for other audiences. In addition, group staff discussions of the business case may be as valuable as written documents
Transportation Agency Partners
A business case for transportation agency partners will provide information on how and why increased cooperation/collaboration and increased alignment will enhance their own program effectiveness through delivering a well-functioning transportation system for the region and its customers and the State/regional economy. It illustrates how collaboration with other levels of government, modes, and public safety entities can advance both mutual and individual agendas. The business case is compact and uses terms related to the partners own interests—for instance, two to four pages, depending on how familiar the partners are with TSMO and how much detail the agencies might expect. The use of acronyms in this business case is also a sliding scale—depending on the partner's familiarity with TSMO. Defining all abbr may be sufficient for some partners, while others may require a definition and short explanatory description.
The content of the business case for transportation partners will hinge on the agency's goal for the business case. Some common goals may include: improving collaboration around traffic incident management or work zone management, aligning project development and funding processes among key partners, and establishing inter-agency committees or working groups. The preparer of the business case should first clearly define its goals for this business case and then identify and focus on select examples, projects, and benefit-cost information that can show partners the value of these goals. A business case for transportation agency partners, in general, will provide more technical detail and examples than business cases for the general public. If possible, a link to an agency Web page or TSMO plan with more information is useful for those who pick up the business case and would like to know more.
General Public
A business case tailored to the general public is a concise, high-level version of the business case. Agencies may aim to limit the business case to a single page, with a maximum length of two pages (or one double-side printed page). The objective of a business case for the general public is generally focused on educating the reader on the work of the agency. The content should be as light on text as possible. The use of infographics, simple charts, and images helps to engage as many people as possible. If possible, a link to an agency Web page or TSMO plan with more information is useful for those who pick up the business case and would like to know more.
Acronyms and industry jargon are avoided whenever possible (especially "TSMO") and TSMO improvements discussed in terms of services (e.g., traveler information or freeway service patrol services) and outcomes (e.g., improved traffic conditions) rather than in terms of projects and programs (e.g., a new Road Weather Information System (RWIS) or Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) project). In general, monetary benefit-cost information is avoided as it is expected that, more often than not, the general public does not have a good benchmark for the costs of comparable transportation and infrastructure projects. Discussing benefit-cost ratios, on the other hand, is an effective way to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of TSMO to the general public.
Agencies may want to frame TSMO improvements as a cost effective way to complement more traditional transportation agency activities—such as roadway expansion and pavement condition maintenance—and highlight that adding TSMO projects to other transportation improvement projects enhances the impacts and cost effectiveness of both. Contrasting the cost effectiveness of TSMO against other, more traditional approaches without highlighting this synergy may unintentionally lead stakeholders to the conclusion that the agency has misspent its funds in the past.
Reference: SHRP 2 L17 (6) Business Case Primer: Communicating the Value of Transportation System Management and Operations.
The Elevator Speech
Preparing and practicing an "elevator speech" has been shown to be effective in how an agency's TSMO unit can improve the efficacy of its business case for IOP changes. Typically, an elevator speech is delivered verbally in about one minute (although it can be longer, if desired). In general, key talking points in an overall business case can be shortened to an elevator speech for IOP changes for TSMO. These can include the following components:
- The overall objective of the business case for IOP changes.
- The top priority IOP change that the agency wants to accomplish.
- The basic argument/rationale for making this IOP change.
- A reference to the agency's business case along with an offer to send an electronic or hard copy, or set-up a follow up meeting.
An elevator speech would typically work differently under a variety of contexts. For example—a TSMO champion may come across the opportunity to speak briefly with the State's transportation secretary, a senior manager in another division, a key partner, or an elected official. Another example of contexts would be if situations arise that impact the position of TSMO (e.g., a new governor/ or a bad storm or crash).
