CDOT Performance Data Business Plan - Cambridge Systematics

CDOT Performance Data Business Plan
– Facilitate consistent reporting of information.
– Develop a communication plan to market the impact and benefits of data
governance to the Department. This may be needed earlier in the
process.
There are clearly some risks that need to be overcome in the development and
implementation of a Data Governance approach. These risks include:
This will result in a culture change for CDOT, which there may be resistance
to change in the way data is currently managed at CDOT.
The potential for ill-defined roles for regions.
Need a better way to enact and enforce policy – top down. If the policy is
related directly to performance management, it will be more successful.
Need to ensure ongoing CDOT/OIT support of SAP’s performance database.
The above steps assume that CDOT managers have been convinced of the need
for data management/governance. However, some work may still be necessary
related to this vital condition. NCHRP 666 contains an entire section related to
establishing the need for data management/governance. Following are some
relevant excerpts for CDOT to consider:
“The need and urgency for data management improvements are not always shared
across all levels of an agency. In some cases, a senior manager within the agency
identifies the need and in other cases individuals at lower levels recognize the value of
improved data management. Nevertheless, a clear case must be established to secure
resources and commitment to proceed with a data management improvement strategy.”
A key success factors related to establishing the need for data governance is:
Demonstrate the Return on Investment (ROI) to the organization regarding the use of
data management and data governance in order to gain buy-in from executives and
decision-makers. Demonstrate with specific examples how the use of data governance can
meet the goals and targets most important to executives.
ROI can be determined in many ways and on many levels within an organization. For
instance, in a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP): a) from the perspective of
the HSIP Statewide Coordinator, an investment in more resources (e.g., people,
technology, tools), may lead to the ROI of an improved HSIP strategic plan; b) for traffic
and safety engineers, an investment in Global Positioning System (GPS) field inventory
projects may lead to the ROI of improved crash locations; and c) for the Highway Safety
Planning Agency, an investment in electronic data collection may lead to the ROI of
improved quality of crash records.
ROI also can be realized across business functional areas within an agency or across
agency boundaries. In the highway crash safety example, a) for law enforcement
personnel, an investment in electronic crash data collection and submittal may lead to the
ROI of reduced time to complete the accident investigation and review; b) for
maintenance and operations personnel, an investment in digital imaging capabilities may
lead to a ROI of quicker and less costly asset management inventory and reduced cost to
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