The Operations AcademySenior Management Program

Operations AcademySenior Management Program

• Emphasis on Surface Transportation Management and Operations

• 2 week “Total Immersion” course with one week of pre-study

• Intended for practitioners desiring advancement & recognition in Operations

• Focuses on the unique aspects of surface transportation M&O

Program Objectives

Individuals completing the program will be able to:

• Describe the impact of M&O on mobility and safety

• Manage an organization whose primary mission is M&O

• Advocate the creation of an operational focus within their agencies

• Demonstrate knowledge of the technical tools of M&O and the conditions under which they can be effectively applied

Additional Benefits• For the individual

– Networking with peers from other jurisdictions

– National recognition

– CEUs and certificate of completion

– Recognition from employer• To the agency

– Individuals trained in operations

– Ability to develop an operations focus

– A constructive analysis of the agency’s current focus on management and operations

Student Profile• Student Profile – Mid to high level managers whose existing

or future responsibilities include management and operations of the transportation system.

• Examples– Manager of traffic operations– District/division engineer– Regional Director– Director of Maintenance– Transportation Operations Center Manager– Manager of traffic engineering in a state or local jurisdictions– Senior transportation planner in a state or local jurisdiction or MPO– Personnel (typically at State or Federal levels) responsible for review,

approval and/or support of management and operations activities

Underlying Concepts

• The relevance of operations and what we are trying to achieve.

• Operations of systems -Understanding operations, and how to influence mobility, safety, security

• Customer service orientation

• Performance measures

• Communications and coordination within organizations and with others

• Managing people, resources, and organizations

Pre-study• Needed to ensure “no student left behind”• Required time depends on the student’s background• Educational home-study material will be provided• Pre-study occurs over a two month period• Final exam • Summary of Subjects:

– Traffic management– Incident management– Emergency management– Freight– Traffic engineering including a survey of traffic flow

theory– Tools of operations (devices and systems)

Curriculum (Draft)• Classroom time – 40%

– Defining the operations template– Instructors with real-world experience

• Workshops – 30%– Real-world problems– Group problem solving including role playing– Reinforcing the operations template

• Field studies – 30%– Visits to a variety of state and local sites– Includes analysis of site activities using the operations template– Supplemented by analysis of the student’s sponsoring agency

• Graduation – 5%– Recognition of student’s efforts– Attended (if possible) by student’s supervisor– Includes presentation of workshop and field study results

Curriculum Structure1. Overview – What is operations and why is it unique?

2. Operations as a system – emphasis on supply-demand concepts, regional & corridor management and conops

3. Performance measures – how are they used and why are they important

4. Customer service – Customer needs and communications

5. Organization – Centralization, stovepiping and organizational relationships

6. Policy and planning – How does operations fit into the big picture for the nation’s transportation system?

7. Management – Staff management, planning, project management, contracting, outsourcing, selling internally

Application and Costs

• Formal application process • Competitive selection based on level of

interest, relevance, geographic and functional diversity

• Costs including weekend– Course fee - $3,500– Lodging costs - $1,375

• Limited number of scholarships available from the I-95 Corridor Coalition

The Spring Semester was a Big Success

• 22 students – all of whom successfully completed the self-study and Academy requirements

• Students received hands-on experience with principles being presented

• Student evaluations very high including– Classroom presentations– Field studies– Workshops– Lunch and dinner speakers– Facilities

Representative Comments

• “The Operations Academy brought the philosophy of conceptual operations into clear focus. It will build future leaders that will move into decision making positions.” Tom Blaine, New Mexico DOT

• “This was an incredibly comprehensive program. I will be able to apply concepts learned right away, not only from the country’s expert in operations, but from our peer states’ experiences as well. I will recommend the program strongly to others in my state!” – Rob Limoges, New York State DOT

Status and Schedule

• Spring session 3-12-07 successfully completed

• Deadline for fall session applications 6/29/07

• Fall session 11-5-07

• Program for fall session finalized