Guidance for Transit Managers

Need for Transit Manger’s Guidance for IT/ITS Projects

Transit has become more and more dependent on the successful operation and interaction of its automated systems. Managers in all areas of transit are incorporating Information Technology (IT) and ITS systems to improve system performance and provide critical information for effective decision-making and the efficient provision of transit service. Those systems increasingly interact with systems managed by other areas within the transit organization, necessitating a higher degree of systems thinking and planning. In general, successful transit IT/ITS projects can no longer be implemented with only the attention of the IT department.

Maximize Benefits of Technology Projects and Avoid Negative Repercussions

Many of the issues associated with poor implementations of technology projects can be avoided if transit managers from all business areas step forward and take a leadership role in ensuring that their organization and the IT/ITS project teams implement the key principles and elements of the Transit Enterprise Architecture and Planning (TEAP) Framework.

Components of the Guidance for Managers

This Guidance for Managers addresses:

• A TEAP Framework Executive Summary that briefly describes the benefits of the Framework and its five elements, and provides a few examples of how the elements interrelate and increase their value to transit. Read this section to gain a better understanding of how using the Transit Enterprise Architecture and Planning Framework can improve your agency’s IT/ITS project outcomes.
• Manager's Roles and Checklists, which provides guidance on manager’s roles and steps that transit managers can undertake to help improve the likelihood of success of IT/ITS projects and to improve the value of transit IT/ITS investments. Use this section to help assess issues and to point to specific actions that can be taken to improve the process of selecting, defining and implementing IT/ITS projects.

from May 21, 2009