Policies and Processes that Support Mainstreaming Transportation Systems Management and Operations

2. WHY POLICIES AND PROCESSES ARE IMPORTANT TO MAINSTREAMING TSMO

Policies and processes direct and inform the day-to-day business of transportation agencies. They can formalize TSMO and advance it from an idea to reality, integrate TSMO across divisions and functional groups, and make TSMO meaningful to staff in their everyday work and specific areas of responsibilities. Policies and processes also communicate expectations, increase consistency of execution, and move from champion‑driven to sustainable TSMO initiatives. Policies and processes can elevate TSMO and support an agency to evolve and change practices in all aspects of TSMO-related decisionmaking and application.

Policies and processes can mainstream TSMO by formalizing practices that support a culture that values TSMO within and across an organization. Incorporating TSMO clearly into an agency’s policies and processes raises awareness of TSMO and helps agencies include its principles, strategies, and approaches in business functions on a daily basis.

Developing a TSMO program plan may provide the basis for identifying many of the policies and processes an agency might need or use to mainstream TSMO. State DOTs can use TSMO program planning to guide TSMO programs and establish policies and processes that advance TSMO and support its mainstreaming across their organization. An important exercise in TSMO program development is to review current policies and processes to determine if they restrict, enhance, or are neutral in advancing TSMO, and to identify areas of need for new policies and processes to support mainstreaming TSMO. This might include review of manuals and standards to determine where TSMO strategies or review processes can be integrated in current practices. It is important to identify and revise policies and processes that hinder mainstreaming TSMO by restricting or discouraging the consideration of TSMO strategies.

Research conducted as part of this White Paper provided numerous examples of policies and processes that have evolved to advance and mainstream TSMO throughout the functional areas of the organization. Examples include:

• Incorporating TSMO formally into project development and planning processes
• Formalizing TSMO contracting and procurement processes
• Appropriating formal funding/budget for TSMO
• Creating TSMO staff positions within the organization
• Establishing a TSMO steering committee/task force
• Defining operational responsibilities for TSMO groups within the organization
• Participating with other organizations/universities on TSMO research and development
• Focusing on TSMO-related workforce development and recruiting
• Completing TSMO organizational self-assessments (e.g., capability maturity models) and follow-up improvement actions
• Adopting agency-wide TSMO performance management
• Standardizing ITS technology
• Developing/publishing agency TSMO resources for project planning

Based on the examples gathered, there are six main themes or areas of policies and processes that emerged as either common among States active in mainstreaming TSMO or had strong potential to be effective for mainstreaming TSMO (figure 1). The six theme areas are discussed in Chapter 3, and examples of various agencies’ experiences are provided.

Source: FHWA (developed for this paper).

Figure 1. Six primary theme areas for mainstreaming transportation systems management and operations with policies and processes emerged from the research for this White Paper.