About the TEAP Framework Project

Table of contents:

Project Overview

The Transit Enterprise Architecture and Planning Framework project seeks to provide transit agencies with a roadmap to successfully implement Information Technology (IT) and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies that meet their business needs.

The project includes a preliminary assessment of the industry and tools available (the synthesis tasks) and the development of a framework and a process, supported by tools to assist agencies in implementing IT/ITS technologies.  The purpose of the synthesis tasks was to obtain a better understanding of current industry knowledge and practice in the five topic areas, as well as to observe the state of readiness for transit to adopt industry best practices.  

The Framework and tools will help transit professionals understand the development, financial, operational and management impacts of technologies, to help them better meet their enterprise business process needs and corporate goals and objectives.  The Framework will also help:

• guide an agency’s planning process and investment criteria,
• improve its understanding of risks and risk management,
• verify and validate  compliance with its needs and stakeholder requirements,
• better manage system project implementation , and
• enhance the measurement of results and benefits.

Phase I

The project consists of two phases.  During Phase 1, the Research Team completed syntheses and develop the details of the TEAP Framework for improving ITS project deployments.  As an early Phase I deliverable, the synthesis described current industry practice through a review of the literature and interviews with transit industry professionals.  The synthesis identifies industry readiness for adopting best practices in the five specific disciplines associated with deploying ITS projects, and helps focus the information to be provided.

The Transit Survey Findings showed inconsistent and often low levels of knowledge and adoption of the various TEAP Framework Elements, confirming the need for this project. 

Aspects of the TEAP Framework and tools designed in Phase I will be validated and expanded in Task 8 through the aid of customer feedback.  Finally, a draft Interim Report, and an expanded Phase II Work Plan will be developed.

Phase II

During Phase II, key aspects of the TEAP framework will be field tested and demonstrated through the EA/EAP tool(s) implementation. 

Why this project?

Successful transit IT/ITS system implementations are critical for transit, yet many projects in the industry struggle with a multitude of development, implementation and operations problems.  This TEAP Framework project was designed to provide the transit industry with information, tools, and resources to improve the likelihood of success of IT/ITS projects.

The five disciplines addressed in the syntheses, which are included in the TEAP Framework for successfully deploying transit ITS projects, are often poorly understood and executed in transit as well as other industries. This is due to several factors:

• Lack of time and resources for execution of the process
• Lack of time and resources for training staff on the topics
• Lack of time, resources and corporate support for implementing the disciplines
• Lack of materials that tailor the topics for transit to make them relevant rather than complex and theoretical

As competition for limited resources increases, the value and need for skills in developing a framework for systems integration and interoperability based on good planning and engineering practices, building a good business case, arranging funding with the most cost effective mechanisms that recognize risks, effectively allocates risk and properly, using EAP to improve the value of the investment, managing projects with good systems engineering practices, and proving value with post-implementation analysis, will increase.

Further, in transit as well as other industries, the relationships between the five disciplines are typically not well laid out and understood.  In this project, the Framework and relationships will be described.  An enterprise-wide TEAP Framework approach to project planning better enables the identification of the impacts on people, systems and technologies over the project’s lifecycle, as well as helps meet agency requirements.

The Project Team

The Transit Enterprise Architecture and Planning Framework, for TCRP J-09/Task 13, project could not have succeeded without the team effort of the Transit Cooperative Research Program’s funding and support, the coordination and assistance provided by Gwen Chisholm-Smith (Senior Program Officer, TCRP), the Consultant Team and the Project Panel.

The Consultant Team members are:

§  Paula Okunieff,  ConSysTec serves as principal investigator and project manager

§  Nancy Neuerburg , N-Squared Associates, serves as Deputy Principal Investigator

§  Edward Thomas, Aegir, System Planning and Funding Expert

§  Susan Sharp , Sharp and Company

§  Bruce Eisenhart , ConSysTec

The Project Panel Members are:

§  TBD

About the Wiki

This Transit Enterprise Architecture and Planning (TEAP) Framework wiki was developed to facilitate access to information about the Framework elements, and their tools, references, examples, and relationships to other Framework elements.  Since the various elements of the Framework are related and inter-linked to maximize their benefits, the hyper-linked structure of wiki is well suited for finding information quickly, helping understand relationships between elements, and moving between topics efficiently.  The wiki is designed for transit industry managers and staff that are involved in planning, funding, implementing or assessing IT/ITS projects.  A subsection of the wiki is designed specifically for transit managers.   Project managers and staff will also find useful information in the section for transit managers.

We have talked aobut how the wiki will enhance reader efficiency.  Now we need to talk about how it will help the reader become more effective in performing their duties.  For example, planners will not only have the ability to navigate quickly from the sections on EAP and Funding Implementation, but will gain a better understanding of how a framework for integration will help minimize financial risk.

For more on contributing to this wiki ...