Transportation Management Center Concepts of Operations

The training material is typically procedurally oriented, grouping families ofrelated actions, and demonstrating how each is executed, with someexplanation of what the operator’s actions cause to occur, and of the response,capability, limitations, and other reasonable expectations for the operation.Upkeep of Training MaterialsAn essential element in the concept of operations is the identification of theresources and process for upkeep of the training materials. Few systems areimplemented completely in a single program. Instead, most systems both growand evolve, reflecting the success of their operation, the lessons learned duringsystem stabilization, and the changes in technology that become available overtime. Thus, training materials will require periodic update. An element of theorganization should be identified who will be tasked with this upkeep as aprimary level duty.As an example, Georgia DOT has established within its operations organizationa training unit responsible for training materials, with a broader base than theTMC. Thus, they are able to retain specialized expertise in the field of training,and to justify the effort to apply modern technology (such as hypertext) toimproving their training resources. Their training manager, who has directexperience in TMC operations management, works closely with the TMCoperations and maintenance units to ensure that the training resources arecomplete and accurate. Thus, the TMC is assured that the materials describingits procedures are current, as are its directories and technical references. Thetraining unit has spearheaded efforts to provide the maximum portion of thematerial online, and accessible either directly from the freeway managementapplication or from the system level.Ongoing TrainingRefresher Training for Existing StaffAn often overlooked component of standard operations (and therefore thecontent of the concept of operations) is refresher training for existing staff. It isthe nature of operations that the great majority of activity is repetitive. Thus,the staff becomes highly experienced in a relatively small portion of the totalfunctioning of the TMC. Operation tends to become rote, performed fromhabit rather than from a full understanding of the reasoning behind the process.The greatest challenge and greatest risk occur when less common functions arerequired, typically during emergency operational conditions. Thus, a need existsfor periodic retraining of staff in the full range of operational procedures.4-56