Emerging Performance Measurement Responses to Changing Political Pressures at State Departments of Transportation

Abstract

Performance measurement is an evolving practice. All state departments of transportation (DOTs) have used some aspect of performance measurement for analyzing system uses and conditions as part of the engineering and planning disciplines. Yet the business management process and accountability aspects of the performance measurement field have emerged in the transportation industry just in the past decade. State DOTs operate under heightened political pressures, and accountability mandates drive change in performance measurement practices. This paper illuminates important trends that drive the evolution of the field and that need greater attention in research. The emerging purposes and needs for performance measurement and performance management have substantial implications for practitioners and managers. The paper first describes the research purpose and method and presents a generational model for conceptualizing the stages in performance measurement development in transportation agencies. Next, the major pressures that drive performance measurement development are noted, and the most pertinent responses uncovered by this research are summarized. The paper concludes with recommendations for advancing the field and opportunities for further research. This report does not critique specific practices or judge state capabilities. Its intention is to describe emerging trends and needs driving the changing practice of performance measurement at state DOTs by using illustrative examples to help practitioners understand the state of the field and prepare for potential challenges ahead.