managing travel for planned special events - FHWA Operations ...

ing events, slight changes in circumstanceswill require modifications to the plan.PARTICIPANTEVALUATIONStakeholder DebriefingAt the conclusion of the planned specialevent, a debriefing session should be held.The stakeholder debriefing is an opportunityto bring together those involved and impactedby the planned special event. In it,these individuals, and the groups they represent,can compare what the plan called forand what actually took place. They can alsoexamine areas the plan may not have addressedbut turned out to be issues in hindsight.All of those who were involved increating the traffic management plan, aswell as key people who played a role duringthe event itself, should be present for thissession. This includes stakeholders formingthe event planning team and traffic managementteam. Table 10-4 lists elements ofa stakeholder debriefing.Table 10-4Elements of a Stakeholder DebriefingELEMENT• Introductions of individuals and the roles theyplayed (if not obvious)• Explanation that the debriefing is not designedto find blame for anything which may havegone wrong, but to identify areas of improvementfor future planned special events• Distribution of a chronology of the specialevent, preferably one which melds individualagencies’ own chronologies• Review of the timeline of events• Discussion of other areas of concern• Next steps to incorporate lessons learnedStakeholders include anyone who had a roleor was affected by the planned special event.This certainly includes the transportationand public safety professionals who developedthe plan and were involved in its execution.However, other stakeholders alsohave a strong interest, even if they had nopart in creating the plan. For example, businessesthat may have been affected by thespecial event, due to closed roadways limitingaccess, are stakeholders with a strongfinancial stake in the event.The debriefing process should involve thosedirectly involved in traffic and parking managementduring the event. This includestraffic management team members stationedat the command post, at the transportationmanagement centers (TMC), and in thefield. While they may not be present at thedebriefing session, the viewpoints of otherstakeholders should also be considered duringthe debriefing process. Figure 10-4highlights Indiana State Police debriefingprotocol for officers in-charge (OIC) of trafficcontrol during the Brickyard 400 autorace.The debriefing should not be viewed as a“finger-pointing” or “blame” session. If it isperceived that way, stakeholders will tendnot to be frank about any of their own shortcomingsand will more likely focus on defendingthemselves. To ensure involvementof all relevant stakeholders and to encouragetheir candid comments, it should be madeclear that the debriefing session is not a timeto blame anyone for something which mayhave gone wrong during the event.A log or chronology of what took place duringthe event should be used to guide thediscussion. Ideally, this log will incorporatethe activities of all stakeholders so theevents can be seen in the light of other actionsthat took place on the day-of-event.This log may be kept by a representative atthe command post or at the TMC. If a masterlog is not kept, individual agencies canshare their own chronologies before the10EVENT PROFILE POST-EVENT ACTIVITIES DAY-OF-EVENT ACTIVITIES ADVANCE PLANNINGOVERVIEW10-5