The purpose of this synthesis project was to examine the practice of strategic planning and management in the transit industry. It was developed to answer a number of specific questions including: How is it being used and to what extent? What forms does it take? How effective has it been? What benefits has it produced? Are there any related research or training needs? Strategic planning is a management tool widely used in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors. It is used to define an organization’s vision, mission, core values, challenges, and opportunities; establish long- and short-range goals; guide business processes; and measure performance. It can assist an organization in creating its future rather than just reacting to it. It also can help to integrate the organization’s various activities and programs, and to better align the organization with its stakeholders’ objectives. The project involved a review of relevant literature on the subject, both in general and as related to public transportation. In addition, two surveys were conducted of transit agencies. The first was a random survey of one agency from each state and the District of Columbia to determine the prevalence of the use of strategic planning and management. There were 38 responses to this survey. The second was a more detailed survey of selected agencies to examine specific practices. Twenty-four agencies responded to that survey. In addition, five agencies were selected as case studies based on the comprehensiveness of their process or innovative or noteworthy practices that they use. The study concludes that strategic planning and management is alive and well in the transit industry, with some form of strategic planning and management being implemented by more than 80% of the transit agencies that were randomly sampled. This indicates that the practice is providing some real value. Moreover, its use has increased substantially since other studies examined the practice in 1986 and 1990. As would be expected, its use is more prevalent in large agencies than in small- or medium-size ones. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting