Office of Operations
21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies
Table of Contents

Approaches for Communicating Third Performance Management Rule Measures, Metrics, and Targets

Chapter 5. Conclusion

Through discussion with State DOT and MPO practitioners, a number of strategies have been identified for communicating PM3 measures with three key audiences: technical advisers and colleagues, executives and knowledgeable decisionmakers, and lay decisionmakers and the public. State DOTs and MPOs can communicate PM3 measures together to enhance insight and engagement. Showing various metrics together can provide more understanding of overall network performance.

Communicating with Technical Advisers and Colleagues

Explaining the usefulness of statewide measures (trend analysis, reporting to Congress), along with recognizing that other measures and metrics are useful, is an important message to data analysts. They may be excited by the potential of the underlying data used in PM3 measures to provide insight on network performance and demand: average travel time data from NPMRDS can be used to develop corridor-level metrics, assess peaking, or identify key bottlenecks on a relatively short time delay.

One effective approach to communicating with this group is to visualize the data in different ways (e.g., by corridor, by time of day, or in key bottlenecks) and place the reported measure or metric or target in the context of the greater business intelligence provided by the data. State DOTs can collaborate with MPOs and other regional partners to share NPMRDS data and visualizations thereof. Both State DOTs and MPOs can use this data to demonstrate the value-add of investments or to prioritize projects and size capital programs.

Communicating with Executives and Knowledgeable Decisionmakers

Important questions for executives and knowledgeable decisionmakers about PM3 (or any other required reporting measure) are: How will I be held responsible for this? and Why did this number change? Practitioners should be prepared to explain year-over-year changes in the metrics with expertise; the cause could be transportation related or another external (to transportation) source.

The data underlying the PM3 measures can be a valuable communication tool with legislators, stakeholders, and the public when used in a variety of ways. The same data that a practitioner can use to compute statewide reliability can also be visualized on corridors. The same data that a practitioner can use to compute statewide freight reliability can also be used to map key freight corridors, nodes, and bottlenecks, thereby making the case for investments.

Communicating with Lay Decisionmakers and the Public

For lay decisionmakers and the public, it is important to personalize the measures by explaining them in terms of the day-to-day experience of the audience. For instance:

  • Reliability reflects the extra time a traveler needs to build into your schedule to account for the longer or longest travel time you think might occur, whether that’s the 80th percentile (worst in a week) or the 95th percentile (worst in a month).
  • TTTR has a direct connection to freight carriers’ and truck drivers’ costs. The extra time they need to build into their schedules to account for the worst travel time costs money and potentially additional business over time. Having access to accurate data on both travel time and reliability can significantly benefit the transportation industry.
  • PHED and delay generally are accessible metrics for a lay audience. The challenge is communicating what delay is considered excessive. A demonstration that reflects a real-world daily experience can be particularly useful. In addition, delay can be monetized using value of time, though some practitioners resist doing so because congestion can be considered as reflective of a strong and growing economy, and the value of time spent in traffic may not be entirely wasted.