This Guidebook considers the moment of decision-making and examines the practices several transportation agencies use to bring performance considerations into the process. It applies to a broad range of decisions, including the following: strategy decisions, such as: what is the focus of the agency? What are the key initiatives that should be pursued over the next several years? What are the most pressing challenges? Resource allocation decisions that address which division, office, business function, or projects should receive funding. Operational decisions, such as: when to schedule maintenance? How to operate the facilities? How to manage the projects that are being developed? Human resource decisions, such as: what are the skills needed for a given position? What divisions do not use their employees efficiently? What training should be provided to employees? The Guidebook provides a short primer on performance management and a focused and detailed set of insights that describes how other agencies bring performance management into the decision-making process. As transportation agencies tackle both major choices about strategies, projects, and programs as well as everyday decisions about operations and personnel, performance management can help ensure both that DOTs “do the right thing” (i.e., that they make the right investments) and that DOTs “do things right” (i.e., that they efficiently use the limited resources they have). (Author/publisher)
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