Getting More by Working Together — Opportunities for Linking Planning and Operations

3. SELF-ASSESSMENT

The following table is designed as a self-assessment tool to help planning and operations practitioners consider their current level of coordination and identify potential linkage opportunities.²⁵ If the answers are "no" to many of the questions for a given opportunity area then this area may represent a good place to expand planning and operations coordination. The previous chapter described a wide range of strategies to help coordinate transportation planning with transportation management and operations. These strategies provide possible starting points for discussion within a region.

Transportation Planning Process	Data Sharing	Performance Measurement	Congestion Management Systems
Do planners and operators know one another and understand each other’s roles? Do public safety, private sector, and transportation operations practitioners participate in regional planning forums? Do goals and objectives address efficient systems management and operations? Do needs assessments address institutional coordination, system flexibility, and reliability? Do assessments of alternative planning scenarios consider the effectiveness of operations strategies? Do plans articulate or refer to a future, improved system of regional operations?	Have any agencies identified and assessed opportunities to share data? Is there a place where agencies and jurisdictions can identify most available transportation-related data within the region? Have agencies explored or implemented specific data sharing partnerships where benefits are significant? Are universities within the region involved with data management and sharing? Do agencies make use of available operations data when developing planning analysis tools and performance measures? Is the ITS architecture used to inform opportunities for sharing data?	Does an MPO committee or task force have explicit responsibility for regional performance measurement? Are managers with day-to-day operations responsibilities involved in developing performance measures? Are regional performance measures that relate to operations included in strategic/long-range plans? Is there an established schedule for performance reporting? Has the agency identified specific data and tools needed to implement performance measures? Is it clear to decisionmakers and the public how performance measures are used to prioritize operations and capital investments?	Do CMS meetings involve operations managers and public safety officials? Are CMS findings explicitly discussed in the regional transportation plan and other planning reports? Are operators and planners aware of projects that are listed in the CMS? Do CMS strategies take non-recurring delay into account? Are CMS performance evaluations linked with a funding prioritization process?

Funding and Resource Sharing	Institutional Arrangements	Regional ITS Architecture	Regional M&O Projects
Do planning and operations funding programs link clearly with planning goals and objectives? Are emergency response and emergency preparedness funds used appropriately to support transportation operations planning? Are there funding incentives to promote interjurisdictional coordination? Do planning documents identify funding for specific management and operations activities? Have agencies identified opportunities to share equipment or facilities? Are any funding sources used to leverage participation in management and operations coordination?	Is there an active forum for regional management and operations? Do practitioners involved with specific operations activities participate in the planning process? Do practitioners involved with regional operations collaboration participate in the planning process? Has there been a strategic discussion about the appropriate MPO role in regional operations? Is there coordination between planning and operations divisions within State DOTs and transit agencies? Is there any staff exchange between planning and operations offices? Are management and operations strategies discussed during project design and delivery?	Is the MPO actively involved with the regional ITS architecture? Are operations managers involved with the regional ITS architecture? Does the regional ITS architecture explicitly address regional planning goals and objectives? Do agencies that sponsor projects consider early on whether projects are consistent with the regional architecture? Are regional planning agencies and operating agencies familiar with the architecture’s operational concept? Do diverse stakeholders regularly participate in architecture meetings? Has the MPO or another regional body defined ITS architecture maintenance responsibilities & activities?	Does the planning agency know who is engaged with regional M&O projects? Does the MPO get involved in any management and operations programs? (e.g., to facilitate public outreach, regional coordination, or the relationship with capital programs) Has there been any discussion of expanding existing M&O projects to address additional management issues or include additional jurisdictions? Are there any M&O programs that are recognized by the broader public as being successful transportation programs? If so, is this success used to promote regional M&O?

25 This self-assessment covers all of the linkage opportunities discussed in Section 2 except for the regional concept for transportation operations (Section 2.9). The RCTO is not included in the self-assessment because this strategy is new and has been implemented in only a few regions.

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