6. Self-Assessment

The purpose of this section is to provide metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) a tool with which they may make their own self-assessment of the degree to which they are accomplishing the aims of this guidebook.

This self-assessment is focused on the management and operations thinking required by SAFETEA-LU. It is not a comprehensive tool covering all aspects of MPO transportation planning, but will help clarify the areas of opportunity and linkage need.

1. An objectives-driven, performance-oriented approach to inclusion of operations strategies in the planning process.
   1. List the potential partners and stakeholders that should be involved in thinking about operations in the metropolitan transportation plan (MTP)?
      1. State DOT(s):
      2. Jurisdictional transportation agencies:
      3. Transit agency(ies):
      4. Independent authorities (sea/airport, tunnel, turnpike, etc.):
      5. Freight operators:
      6. Rail operators:
      7. Business community (e.g., chambers of commerce, tourism):
      8. Public safety (police and fire/rescue):
      9. Others:
   2. Describe the institutional mechanisms for engaging - and sustaining the engagement - of the operating agencies? For example:
      1. Representation on the policy-making board:
      2. An operations committee:
      3. Collaboration with an independent operations coordinating body:
      4. Other:
   3. How do you ensure that a balanced (planning and operations) perspective is offered to the decision-makers?
   4. Have you incorporated the Congestion Management Process (CMP) into the overall development of your plan? How?
   5. Has ITS architecture been related to M&O within the planning process? How?
   6. In developing regional goals, has system management and operation been considered? If so, how?
   7. How did you develop your operations objectives/strategies? Was the operations community (and other stakeholders) involved?
   8. Have you compiled an inventory of current management and operations strategies in effect within the region, including those that are not traditionally incorporated into the MTP planning process?
2. Objectives-driven, performance oriented operational strategies in the metropolitan transportation plan (MTP).
   1. Does your plan identify M&O goal(s) (desired end state(s)) supported by measurable objectives? What is it or are they?
   2. Does your plan clearly identify operational strategies in a manner that lets decision-makers clearly see the level of investment? If so, how?
   3. Are investment decisions included within the plan based on the best combinations of capital investments and operations strategies (performance-based planning)? What procedure was used to evaluate mix?
   4. Has the plan clearly prioritized the implementation of regional operations objectives?
3. Plan execution with respect to M&O strategies
   1. What are your mechanisms for measuring performance of M&O goals/objectives?
   2. Are the necessary data collection methods in place?
   3. Are real-time and archived data shared, linked, and made accessible to system managers and delivered to system users?
   4. Have current operations conditions been adequately assessed to form a baseline?
   5. Do you have a process for informing the public on progress of MTP toward its goals and objectives on a regular basis?