Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
2 CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH APPROACH INTRODUCTION State transportation agencies are motivated to measure the performance of their research programs for numerous reasons. Monitoring the value and efficiency of this program is of critical importance to both research program managers and agency administrators alike (1). While research performance measurement is important for common management purposes such as program justification and early identification of weakening program areas, there is a heightened need for communication of research program performance and value in the current era of rapid turnover in transportation agency administrators. There is also a growing need at the national level for aggregated research program performance information. An assessment of annual, nationwide research impact would be of great value to AASHTO in developing and supporting requests for future federal funding for transportation research. It was important to the panel that RPM-Web functionality did not duplicate that already available to the national research community in other web sites and databases. As conceptually developed by the panel, the purpose and value of the RPM System substantially differs from that offered by the Research in Progress (RiP) web site and the Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) web site. While purposes differ, so differ the time frames for use, as depicted on the timeline for a research project shown in Figure 1. The primary value and use of the RiP web site is during the process of new research project development, when it is imperative that research program managers be able to review a comprehensive list of research currently underway. TRIS is of particular value to the research community beginning with the new project development phase and extending through the active research phase. The RPM System will serve the research community at some point beginning near the completion of research projects, when performances of the projects and research program are being assessed. The degree of coordination between RPM-Web and RiP extends to sharing database information so that users who have entered basic project information into RiP at the outset of a research project will not have to re-enter that information into RPM-Web when the performance assessment occurs. This coordination will greatly benefit the state research offices that will enter this information in most cases. RPM System RiP TRIS On-Going Performance Verification Active Research Phase Product Evaluation & Implementation Phase Maximum Benefit Phase Project Prioritization and Planning Phase Figure 1. TRIS, RiP, and RPM Usage Timeline
3 The assistance of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academy of Science was crucial to being able to provide this degree of database coordination. It is the intent of TRB to periodically download basic project information from the RiP database to the RPM database. RESEARCH APPROACH The research approach for this project included considerable interaction between the research team and the NCHRP panel. This interaction allowed a number of panel ideas and requests to be incorporated, resulting in products better centered on the needs and desires of future users. The initial task of this project was to determine current state-of-the-practice of research performance measurement. Three nationwide electronic surveys were distributed to gather this information. The targeted audiences included AASHTO RAC members, AASHTO agency administrators, and a group of federal and private industry research managers and executives. These surveys and the information collected are discussed in Chapter 2. A comprehensive list of research-related performance measures (PMs) was then developed from the survey responses and from information found in literature. After analysis by the research team and discussions at a meeting with the NCHRP panel, 30 performance measures were selected as the standard performance measures for the system to be developed. These performance measures are the subject of Chapter 3. Commonly used terms were defined to assist in communications during the project. The 30 selected standard performance measures, plus 10 additional ones, are also defined within the RPM System. While imperative for this project, these definitions also may have considerable future value. They have the potential to become the genesis of a nationally accepted set of definitions and methods among the AASHTO member agencies. A glossary of terms is provided in Appendix A. A systems requirements document describing proposed functionality and programming specifications for the RPM System was delivered to the NCHRP panel as an interim report prior to beginning programming activities. Excerpts of this systems requirements document are provided in Appendix B for the convenience of those desiring more detailed information about the design and architecture of the RPM System. Several refinements to the envisioned system were again made possible by panel suggestions and comments. Detailed descriptions of user roles, access limitations, navigation, design, and functionality are all found in Appendix B. A story board displaying two levels of RPM-Web navigation and associated user access is shown in Figure 2.
4 Figure 2. RPM-Web â Navigation Story Board The welcome screens of RPM-Tools and RPM-Web are shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4, respectively, where the major navigation tabs may also be observed near the top of the screen graphics.
5 Figure 3. RPM-Tools - Welcome Screen Figure 4. RPM-Web - Welcome Screen
6 The research team employed two groups of programmers to develop the web site and CD-ROM portions of the RPM System. While development of the two components was parallel, development of the web site generally led that of the CD-ROM for reasons of efficiency and unity in concept. The panel met with the research team once again when substantial portions of both components were ready for initial viewing and trial. This meeting again provided valuable interaction between the system developers and future users. RPM System development was completed after receiving the comments and input from the panel. The final requirement of the project was to provide user training to AASHTO RAC members. This training was provided during a one-day workshop held in conjunction with the 2005 National AASHTO RAC Meeting held in Wilmington, North Carolina.
