BACKGROUND
Transportation and its infrastructure are not ends in themselves but means for providing mobility and accessibility to important destinations. State departments of transportation (DOTs) and other infrastructure owner-operators (IOOs) work to grow, manage, or maintain networks to facilitate mobility, travel choice, and access and to build public value. This work considers broader societal goals and improves the quality of life for individuals and communities alike. There is a growing demand that DOTs consider transportation outcome performance in a wider range of dimensions. Many DOTs continue evolving toward community-centered transportation by adopting more comprehensive and outcome-oriented goals. This requires identifying measures that more effectively capture the outcomes of the systems and services delivered by state DOTs and other IOOs.
There is a foundation of strong infrastructure- and auto-oriented performance measures, such as travel time reliability, pavement quality, or bridge health. These measures have been promulgated into federal regulation, and reporting cycles have been established for DOTs. However, measuring less conventional outcomes closely tied to diverse societal goals is an emerging practice. Research is needed to develop emerging measures into mature practices for consideration by DOTs and other IOOs around the nation and to improve measurement, integration, and incorporation of important policy goals into investment decision-making.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this research is to develop a guide to help state DOTs identify and implement nontraditional measures related to transportation performance with tactical strategies or methods for data collection and analysis.
TASKS
Phase I - Planning and Preliminary Analysis
Task 1: Project Initiation
Within fifteen days of contract execution, the research team shall deliver the Amplified Research Plan for panel review and NCHRP approval. The research team shall participate in a project kick-off meeting arranged by NCHRP following the approval of the Amplified Research Plan. The research team shall incorporate input on the originally proposed engagement strategy following the kickoff meeting into a memorandum with details on how to operationalize the strategy.
Deliverables:
• 1.1) Amplified Research Plan and
• 1.2) Kick-off Meeting with Summary Notes
• 1.3) Memorandum to Operationalize the Engagement Strategy
Task 2: Literature and Practice Review
The research team shall review and summarize literature and current practices on performance management. This shall serve as a baseline and allow the research team to identify where additional research is needed to achieve the research objective. A memorandum shall be submitted in the first Quarterly Progress Report (QPR).
Deliverables:
• 2) Literature and Practice Review – QPR 1
Task 3: Compile and Assess Non-Traditional Measures, Interim Report, and Updated Phase II Plan - Complete
The research team shall the team will compile relevant metrics, organized by topic area, along with important characteristics about each metric, such as who has used or documented the metric, possible data sources, and analytical tool requirement. As part of this effort, the research team shall travel to where practitioners are already gathered (e.g., a conference or meeting of a profession group), to execute the engagement strategy to further identify metrics. The research team shall propose options for this travel and NCHRP must approved. After compilation, the team will apply criteria and input from practitioners to assess how well metrics meet project goals. The research team shall submit a compendium of metrics and recommended short-list of metrics in Interim Report I. The research team shall also develop an Updated Phase II research plan incorporating learnings from the Phase I. The research team shall present findings to NCHRP at a virtual interim meeting. NCHRP approval of Interim Report I and Updated Phase II Research Plan is required before work on subsequent tasks may begin.
Deliverables:
• 3.1) Draft Phase I Interim Report (containing the Task 3 memorandum) and Updated Phase II Research Plan
• 3.2) Final Phase I Interim Report and Updated Phase II Research Plan – QPR 2
Phase II - Measure Development, Testing & Refinement
Task 4: Metric Implementation Blueprint
The research team shall refine the broad set of measures identified in Task 3 into a smaller and better defined and described pool of measures. The strongest of these measures will be implemented by the research team, laying the foundation for pilot testing in Task 5. The measures shall be implementable, representative of desired outcomes, and provide useful information to practitioners and decision-makers.
Deliverables:
• 4) Metric Implementation Blueprint and Assessment – QPR 3
Task 5: Metric Pilot Testing
The research team shall identify state DOT practitioners to collaborate in piloting the draft measures. Pilot participants shall be selected based on their interest in the draft measures and their capacity to participate in the pilot process. The research team shall work with the panel to determine the right number of measures to pilot based on considerations including the number of measures overall, the number of measures in each focus area, the interest among pilot participants, in the draft measures, and the difficulty of implementation.
Deliverables:
• 5) Pilot Summary and Case Examples – QPR 4
Task 6: Pre-Draft Guide
The research team shall develop a concept of the guide to help DOTs identify and implement nontraditional measures related to transportation performance with tactical strategies or methods for data collection and analysis.
Deliverables:
• 6) Pre-Draft Guide – QPR 5
Task 7: Virtual Workshop and In-Person Panel Meeting
The research team shall prepare for and execute a virtual workshop to vet the proposed metrics and methods found in the pre-draft guide with intended users before preparing the final deliverables. Following, the research team shall prepare Interim Report II and the Updated Phase III Research Plan. The research team shall present findings to NCHRP at an in-person interim meeting. NCHRP approval of the interim report and updated Phase III Research Plan is required before work on subsequent tasks may begin.
Deliverables:
• 7.1) Webinar Content and Plan – QPR 5
• 7.2) Draft Interim Report II (containing Workshop Summary) and Updated Phase III Research Plan
• 7.3) Final Interim Report II and Updated Phase III Research – QPR 6
Phase III - Project Deliverables
Task 8: Draft Guide and Technical Documentation
The research team shall prepare the final guide, training resources, code, and technical documentation.
Deliverables:
• 8) Draft guide in Microsoft Word, draft Conduct of Research Report in Microsoft Word, and draft implementation plan.
Task 9: Communication Materials
The research team shall prepare a draft presentation about the research and a draft TR News Highlight (maximum 500 words).
Deliverables:
• 9) Draft presentation (with speaker notes summarizing the project in Microsoft PowerPoint, and a draft TR News Highlight.
Task 10: Final Deliverables
Following panel feedback and NCHRP approval, the research team shall develop final versions of all deliverables.
Deliverable:
10) Final guide in Microsoft Word, final Conduct of Research Report in Microsoft Word, and final implementation plan, final presentation (with speaker notes summarizing the project in Microsoft PowerPoint, and a final TR News Highlight.
