The Guidebook

The Guidebook under development through NCHRP Project 20-24(95): Ensuring Essential Capability for the Future Transportation Agency includes both a stand-alone online version and modular excerpted content drawn from the Guidebook that is integrated with the overall framework components, as well as with the Roles-Based Guidance and Situations-Based Guidance.

Chapter 1. Introduction

This chapter provides an introduction to the basics of agency capability-building and to the guidebook.


Sections
  1. Introduction

    An introduction to Chapter 1 of the ACB Guidebook. Read more…

  2. What is an Organizational Capability?

    An organizational capability is the means by which an organization brings together its people and other resources to respond to changes in the business environment and deliver value to its customers and stakeholders. Read more…

  3. Why Build Agency Capability?

    The capability-building process described in this guidebook is intended to align processes, people and systems around a state DOT’s highest strategic objectives. Read more…

  4. What is in the Guidebook?

    Rather than responding to emerging issues in a piecemeal fashion, agencies can create an integrated plan of actions that responds to the full range of anticipated future changes. Read more…

  5. Who Should Read This Guidebook?

    The guidebook will benefit transportation professionals at state DOTs and MPOs in management and leadership positions, those with specific, targeted roles, as well as district offices, program managers and others with less than agency-wide responsibilities. It may also be useful to other professionals who work in transportation. Read more…

  6. How Should the Guidebook be Used?

    The ACB Framework provides an overview of current challenges facing transportation agencies. Role-based guidance looks at change forces relevant to specific roles over several time periods. Situation-based guidance is directed at change forces relevant to a defined set of DOT challenges. Read more…

Chapter 2. Agency Capability Building Framework

This chapter provides an introduction to the Agency Capability Building (ACB) Framework, describing how change forces impact capabilities and why capability-building is critical for successful transportation agencies.


Sections
  1. Framework Introduction

    An introduction to Chapter 2 of the ACB Guidebook. Read more…

  2. Change Forces

    Change forces are internal and external factors and trends affecting transportation agencies that disrupt the status quo. They are dynamic and evolving, and their impact can be positive or negative. Read more…

  3. Organizational Needs

    Organizational Needs consider the implications of anticipated changes. They identify the ways in which the agency should strengthen or add capabilities to meet future challenges and harness opportunities offered by these changes. Read more…

  4. Strategies

    Strategies are the means by which an agency can actively manage its organization, workforce, knowledge, information, data and relationships with stakeholders. They are the ways that DOTs can strengthen or build the organizational capabilities needed to deliver value to customers and stakeholders in a changing environment. Read more…

Chapter 3. Strategies

This chapter provides a guide to common methodologies, practices, and approaches used to build agency capabilities.


Sections
  1. Strategies Introduction

    An introduction to Chapter 3 of the ACB Guidebook. Read more…

  2. Organizational Management

    Organizational management is a mechanism for building an efficient and effective organization through the optimal use of its assets and resources. Read more…

  3. Workforce Management

    Workforce management ensures the appropriate level of knowledge, skills and abilities are available in the agency to carry out its critical activities today and in the future. Read more…

  4. Knowledge Management

    Knowledge Management ensures the agency effectively creates, stores and uses existing knowledge to help it carry out its organizational goals and objectives. Read more…

  5. Information and Data Management

    Information management and data management are two related strategies for transforming data into useful information that can inform agency decision making. Read more…

  6. Partnerships

    Partnership management is a mechanism to create mutually beneficial outcomes compared with operating alone or separately from external partners. Read more…

Chapter 4. Role-Based Guidance

This chapter provides quick guides for a set of agency roles with responsibilities and capabilities in response to change forces and pressing needs.


Sections
  1. Role-Based Guidance Introduction

    By understanding the primary transportation agency roles included in this chapter, the DOT gains insight into the current state of the agency from each of these perspectives and how to use strategies to improve capabilities that address change forces. Read more…

Chapter 5. Situation-Based Guidance

This chapter provides quick guides for potential situations faced by the DOT in coming years that help to conceptualize and plan around change forces that will affect the agency’s operation and needed capabilities.


Sections
  1. Situation-Based Guidance Introduction

    The situation-based perspective provides a structured approach to thinking through specific situations with the aim of understanding and enhancing capabilities needed to address change forces. Read more…

Chapter 6. Developing an Agency Capability-Building Action Plan

This chapter provides a step-by-step guide to developing an action plan to build capabilities in response to change forces, needs, and strategies.


Sections
  1. Action Planning Introduction

    An introduction to Chapter 6 of the ACB Guidebook. Read more…

  2. Step 1: Determine Scope

    Initiate action planning for capability building by determining the scope of the effort, establishing a focus, determining why additional capabilities are needed and how much to take on at once. Read more…

  3. Step 2: Build a Vision

    Finalize the more specific strategies that will achieve your capability-building goal. Read more…

  4. Step 3: Select/Develop Strategies

    Finalize the strategies that will guide action. Read more…

  5. Step 4: Create Actions

    Document the set, sequence and priorities of the actions that will achieve the vision and strategies Read more…

  6. Step 5: Build a Team

    Determine the team and provide them with what they need to be successful. Read more…

  7. Step 6: Monitor and Adjust

    Check and adjust the implementation of the action plan Read more…

Chapter 7. This is a test

There are chapters, and there are chapters


Sections
  1. Test Section

    This is the description Read more…

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