CDOT Performance Data Business Plan - Cambridge Systematics

CDOT Performance Data Business Plan
Each component illustrated in Figure 3.1 is described below. The descriptions
define the terms and characteristics used for the assessment of CDOT practices
presented in Section 3.3. This information (along with the benefits of
performance reporting provided in Section 3.2) draws heavily from the NCHRP
8-62 work, but has been tailored for this report.
Strategic Planning
The strategic planning process typically includes the following elements:
Vision or Mission. An agency’s mission or vision is the set of foundational
principles that guide all of its policies and business decisions. A mission
should be broad enough to encompass the agency’s entire breadth of
responsibilities, while specific enough to suggest actionable goals and
objectives.
Goals. While an agency’s mission can remain the same for a long period
(although it does not have to), its goals should change as necessary in
response to new or evolving challenges. Performance measures can directly
inform the development of goals by highlighting troubling trends and
particular agency challenges. Goals can address a variety of facets of the
agency’s performance, including external performance (state of the system,
project delivery, customer satisfaction, etc.) and internal performance
(human resources, communication, employee satisfaction, etc.).
Objectives. One of the characteristics of an effective strategic plan is that it
contains a limited number of achievable, measurable objectives that can be
achieved within a few years. Strategic objectives will ultimately determine
the measures that are used to gauge success.
Initiatives. Strategic initiatives and implementation strategies are used to
help orient an agency towards achieving the desired outcomes and fostering
informed and responsive decision-making. Once goals are in place and
specific measurable objectives have been set, agencies can identify policies
and procedures that ensure success.
Performance Management
Figure 3.1 presents performance management as a continuous cycle consisting of
the following four activities:
Selecting measures. Performance measures provide a means for connecting
decisions to agency goals and objectives. The best measures reflect an agency’s
priorities, are feasible to calculate given existing data, and can be influenced by
an agency’s actions.
Setting targets. Performance targets are the gauges of success that support and
advance an agency’s strategic plan. Without them, objectives may represent
abstract concepts. The most useful targets are ambitious but achievable.
3-2 Cambridge Systematics, Inc.