Organizing for TSMO
Case Study 8: Training for TSMO

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Historically, transportation agencies have managed congestion primarily by funding major capital projects that focused on adding capacity to address physical constraints such as bottlenecks. Operational improvements were typically an afterthought and considered after the new infrastructure was already added to the system. Given the changing transportation landscape that includes increased customer expectations, a better understanding of the sources of congestion, and constraints in resources, alternative approaches were needed. Transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) provides such an approach to overcome these challenges and address a broader range of congestion issues to improve overall system performance. With agencies needing to stretch transportation funding further and demand for reliable travel increasing, TSMO activities can help agencies maximize the use of available capacity and implement solutions with a high benefit-cost ratio. This approach supports agencies' abilities to address changing system demands and be flexible for a wide range of conditions.

Effective TSMO efforts require full integration within a transportation agency and should be supported by partner agencies. This can be achieved by identifying opportunities for improving processes, instituting data-driven decision-making, establishing proactive collaboration, and developing actionable activities to develop processes that optimize performance.

Through the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2), a national partnership between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the Transportation Research Board (TRB), a self-assessment framework was developed based on a model from the software industry. SHRP2 developed a framework for agencies to assess their critical processes and institutional arrangements through a capability maturity model (CMM). The CMM uses six dimensions of capability to allow agencies to self-assess their implementation of TSMO principles²:

1. Business processes - planning, programming, and budgeting.
2. Systems and technology - systems engineering, systems architecture standards, interoperability, and standardization.
3. Performance measurement - measures definition, data acquisition, and utilization.
4. Culture - technical understanding, leadership, outreach, and program authority.
5. Organization and workforce - programmatic status, organizational structure, staff development, recruitment, and retention.
6. Collaboration - relationships with public safety agencies, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations (MPO), and the private sector.

Within each capability dimension, there are four levels of maturity (performed, managed, integrated, and optimized), as shown in Figure 1. An agency uses the CMM self-assessment to identify their level of maturity in each dimension as well as their strengths and weaknesses and to determine actions they can take to improve their capabilities.

Purpose of Case Studies

In the first 10 years of implementation of the TSMO CMM, more than 50 States and regions used the tool to assess and improve their TSMO capabilities. With the many benefits experienced by these agencies, FHWA identified the need to develop case studies through previous efforts in SHRP2 to showcase leading practices in order to assist transportation professionals in mainstreaming TSMO into their agencies. The purposes of the case studies are to:

• Communicate the value of changing the culture and standard practices towards TSMO to stakeholders and decision-makers.
• Provide examples of best-practices and lessons learned by other State and local agencies during their adoption, implementation, and mainstreaming of TSMO.

These case studies support transportation agencies by showing a wide range of challenges, opportunities, and results to provide proof for the potential benefits of implementing TSMO. Each case study was identified to address challenges faced by TSMO professionals when implementing new or expanding existing practices in the agency and to provide lessons learned.

Identified Topics of Importance

The topic of training for TSMO is important because providing appropriate information to each level of stakeholders is an important aspect in communication of TSMO. TSMO is often a new concept to many agencies, so by developing training activities, the agency can present a clear understanding of TSMO, share expertise, and engage more stakeholders. Some challenges that agencies face when developing training materials for TSMO are developing content that is appropriate for different audiences, reaching as many individuals as possible, and having the resources to develop and deliver training. The agencies highlighted for this case study addressed those challenges by providing online training and resources as well as collaborating with other stakeholders to develop training.

Interviews

Agencies were selected for each case study based on prior research indicating that the agency was excelling in particular TSMO capabilities. Care was taken to include a diversity of geographical locations and agency types (departments of transportation, cities, and MPOs) to develop case studies that other agencies could easily relate to and learn from. Interviews were conducted with selected agencies to collect information on the topic for each case study.

Description of Training for TSMO

Providing training for agency staff and stakeholders is key to a successful TSMO program to establish a common understanding of goals and processes. Staff must be equipped with all necessary information to carry out the processes and procedures for which they are responsible. This helps promote a TSMO culture and integrate activities into other agency processes and programs.

The intended audience is likely to impact the types of training activities and materials developed. The following should be considered:

• What is the audience's role? - Stakeholders may receive different types of training depending on their goals and role within TSMO. For example, executive leadership may only need a brief description of the expected program outcomes versus a mid-level manager needing to know the details of plans and functions.
• What is the best setting for the intended audience? - Existing standing meetings where a portion of the agenda can be designated to TSMO information may be better received than requesting standalone TSMO meetings. A wider audience may be available if the meeting is regularly occurring. However, if a significant amount of information must be provided, a specific training workshop may be a better option. Webinars should also be considered if there are many attendees or a large geography to cover. An added benefit of webinars is that they can be recorded, which is helpful if detailed information is provided or some individuals are not able to attend at the designated date and time.
• How will the audience best learn the information? - Based on the information to be conveyed, a presentation may be appropriate for training. If an in-person or webinar training is developed, interactive elements should be considered to continuously engage attendees. This may include quiz questions at specific points, team activities, or example problems. In addition to, or in lieu of, a presentation to provide the training information, job aides could be considered to enhance learning and provide a reference item after the training. This could be a fact sheet, a workflow, a schematic, or other easily understood reference materials. An additional benefit of providing a job aide is the physical item can help keep the material present in an attendee's thoughts even when working on other tasks.

By considering these elements before developing a training activity, agencies are able to provide appropriate, targeted information to intended stakeholders.