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Table 2.2. Assessment Criteria
Assessment Criteria Considerations
Does the process involve coordination Although single-agency processes and process integration yield value, a higher priority was given
among more than one agency or to those processes and process integration points that involved more than one division or
division within an agency? agency. This would yield beneficial information about institutional agreements and cooperation
toward enhanced operational procedures.
Does the process integration positively Focus was placed on those processes and integration strategies that could address more than one
impact one or more types of dimension or source of nonrecurring congestion. The ability to leverage benefits of coordinating
nonrecurring congestion? processes that could point to tangible benefits in more than one operational area was a key
consideration.
Are there documented impacts on This proved to be one of the more challenging criteria to map to candidate case studies. Although
improved travel time reliability, many programs and regions are embarking on formal performance monitoring programs,
including qualitative and quantitative? available data are too inconsistent to draw a linear relationship between process integration and
improvements to travel time. In some cases, where agencies or partnerships have implemented
specific processes and procedures to reduce the time it takes to respond to and clear incidents
from roadways, there is a relationship to specific metrics that would indicate the impact on travel
time. In other cases, important enablers to process integration and change (such as instituting
training programs or having a programming process within an agency that gives priority to
congestion management enhancements) may ultimately yield positive impacts on reliability,
but the link may not necessarily be direct.
Are there clear examples of business Process integration was initially viewed as multiple steps within an operational activity that were
processes that have been integrated brought together in a specific way. As the project evolved, the integration at the institutional
at the operational level or the level emerged as an important separator in identifying successful integration strategies.
institutional level?
Are there policy-related impacts, or There are different policy considerations for the various processes involved in this research.
required policies to support business Candidate case studies were reviewed to identify the role that formal policy plays in either
process integration? implementing a business process or integrating a process with another entity or within an
organization.
Can outcomes or approaches be applied An important outcome of this research was to identify successful strategies that regions could
to other areas with similar results of apply to their situation and achieve similar results. There will be some variability among
improved travel time reliability? strategies, but concepts and processes that may be transferable will aid in applying the
research.
Are the measures of effective integration This criterion refers to the sustainability of the process to support longer-term reliability goals and
sustainable? Have they demonstrated objectives. Processes that are aimed at recurring strategies (such as incident clearance proce-
consistent results over time? dures and weather event management) can help demonstrate repeated benefits.
workshop involved a significant amount of conversation researched for their applicability to transportation agency
related to issues and challenges faced within the stakeholders' processes. Once an effective modeling tool was identified, it
departments or agencies. There also was significant conversa- was important to look at the key elements within the process
tion about the enablers of each case study and how to overcome and determine how these elements would be used to map busi-
challenges throughout implementation of new processes. It was ness processes from transportation agencies.
important for the attendees to evaluate the applicability of the
findings to arrive at information that could benefit operations
Process Model Approaches
within other agencies.
and Notations Considered
A consistent approach to process diagram is needed to present
Modeling Business Processes
the case studies and demonstrate that the actions or activities
The L01 project focused on identifying and documenting result in a specific or desired outcome. Business processes are
business processes that have successfully improved travel time activities encompassing several agencies or departments within
reliability. In order to analyze the identified business processes an agency that ultimately produce an outcome or output.
and, more importantly, to identify key integration points Through initial research, several alternate approaches to
within the processes, a consistent approach to mapping busi- business process models were identified for analysis. Five
ness processes is required. Various business processes were approaches that were considered by the research team are
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Table 2.3. Case Studies
Case Study Description Agency
Washington State DOT Describes one of several programs the Washington State DOT and Washing- WSDOT
Joint Operations Policy ton State Patrol have implemented to support their Joint Operations
Statement and Instant Policy Statement for incident response and management and to support
Tow Dispatch Program their goals for faster clearance of incidents on highways.
Florida Road Rangers Describes the use of contracted, private tow vendors and sponsors to Florida DOT
deliver a freeway service patrol program throughout the state of Florida.
Also describes the performance metrics for measuring effectiveness of
the program and the impact on incident clearance times.
United Kingdom Active Describes the pilot corridor for ATM strategies for recurring congestion, as UK Highways Agency
Traffic Management well as the incident response and management program.
North Carolina DOT Traffic Describes North Carolina DOT's evaluation process for major work zones North Carolina DOT
and Safety Operations and traffic and safety impacts as a result of changes in work zones. This
Committee committee has established a process to identify, evaluate, and imple-
ment mitigation strategies to offset negative impacts on travel time relia-
bility and safety within the work zone.
Michigan DOT Work Zone Describes the microsimulation model developed by the Michigan DOT to Michigan DOT
Traffic Control Modeling model the impacts of freeway construction closures on an entire network.
Results of the microsimulation model were applied to incident manage-
ment and operations strategies, as well as to alternate route planning.
The goal was to minimize impacts to the surrounding freeway network as
a result of a major freeway reconstruction (I-75 Ambassador Bridge).
Kansas Speedway Describes the development of traffic management procedures to support Kansas DOT and Kansas
Special-Event Traffic large-scale event traffic at the new speedway facility. Through effective Highway Patrol
Management process coordination, agencies have reduced the number of officers
needed in the field for traffic ingress and egress management and have
reduced the time to clear parking lots following large-scale events.
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Describes the traffic signal timing plans developed specifically for events at Road Commission of Oakland
Special-Event Traffic the Palace. Plans were developed to flush traffic away from the event County and Auburn Hills
Management (Michigan) venue, and have resulted in reduced event venue clearance times, and Police Department
streamlined the number of officers required to manage event traffic.
I-80 Winter State Line Identifies the series of processes that are initiated when Caltrans closes the Nevada DOT Headquarters
Closures (California and state line on I-80 during winter weather events. Nevada DOT is focused and Nevada DOT District 2
Nevada State Line) on notifying westbound travelers, particularly freight, of the state line clo- Operations
sure to minimize the illegal parking and truck queuing that can occur on
I-80 while trucks wait for the state line to reopen.
AZTech Regional Archived Describes the evolution of a database initially developed to store freeway Maricopa County DOT
Data Server (Arizona) data into a central repository for agencies to access real-time incident
and traffic operations data. Information available from the Regional
Archived Data Server allows agencies to implement changes in their
traffic management strategies to respond to real-time conditions in
neighboring jurisdictions that could affect their roadways.
San Pablo Avenue Signal Describes a multiagency approach to developing corridor traffic signal tim- Metropolitan Transportation
Retiming (California) ing plans. Overall program measures show an improvement in travel time Commission
and a decrease in fuel consumption.
identified in Table 2.4. Each approach was analyzed based on Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) for this proj-
its applicability to modeling different transportation opera- ect. The BPMN was developed to improve communication
tions processes. between participants at the design level of a process with those
at the implementation stage. In order to improve com-
munication, a simplified, easy-to-understand set of rules
Business Process Modeling Notation
were required. It also was important that these rules could
After identifying and considering all the options for mod- be applied against several industry types beyond software
eling business processes, the research team selected the development.
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Table 2.4. Business Process Modeling Approaches
Process Modeling Type Primary Use Advantages Disadvantages
Business Process A standard modeling tool used as a · IBM template for use with Visio is · Converting to another tool may
Modeling Notations common visual representation to available. be difficult.
(BPMN) display the business process design
· Diagramming elements are · It may not be conducive to
for all stakeholders within the
relatively easy to understand modeling routine work.
process flow.
for all stakeholders.
· Recognized industry standard for
different types of processes,
including activities, data, and
outputs.
Unified Modeling A standard modeling language used as · Combines several data modeling · Can be difficult to learn and
Language (UML) (2) a visual representation, including practices into one model adopt to nondata processes.
graphical notation, to model the language.
· Line styles are very similar,
parts of a system or methodology.
· Can be used with all processes. making it hard to distinguish
UML diagrams represent three
different types of information
views of a system model: functional · Can be used with different flows.
requirements view, static structural technologies for implementation
view, and the dynamic behavior purposes. · Information may be lost when
view. UML can be used as the basis trying to import the informa-
for activity diagrams and interaction tion into another tool.
overview diagramming.
Unified Software A generic tool that is used as framework · It is use-case driven; each used · Not user-friendly; requires much
Development Process for customizing analysis and design through implementation, test, more in-depth understanding
(Unified Process) (3) for the life cycle of a system. It uses and deployment. of the workflow of a system.
the UML standards.
· Supports multiple architectural · Involves many detailed steps
models and views. and phases.
· Focuses on addressing critical · Can be time-consuming to
risks. develop.
· Used more for system design
than for system diagramming.
IBM Rational Unified A refinement of the Unified Process, · Can be adapted and customized · Presented at a higher level,
Process (RUP) (4) but also a trademark of IBM, RUP to fit project or organization which makes it hard to deter-
provides guidance and examples needs. mine key processes.
that are tailored by the organization
· Uses processes that have · Must satisfy criteria already
to assist in the development and
already proved successful defined in the process in
implementation of a system or used
for other similar projects. order to continue to the next
as a project management tool.
phase, which could be time-
· Adaptable to other countries;
consuming.
the tool is available in several
languages. · Used more for system design
than for system diagramming.
Event-Driven Process A graphical depiction of events and · Several tools can be used to · Not all the tools support the
Chain (EPC) functions that represent a dynamic create the diagram. EPC markup language
modeling business process. The (EPML).
· Uses simple and easy-to-
Event-Driven Process Chain was
understand notation. · Has to be event-driven; the
developed within the framework of
diagram must start and end
Architecture of Integrated Information
with a specific event.
Systems (ARIS).
IBM published the BPMN notations and specifications in objects and definitions within Visio. IBM also provides on the
2004 and continues to provide guidance and support for organ- website a software demonstration for BPMN using the stencil
izations looking to use the BPMN approach. IBM also provides and Microsoft Visio, one of the most widely used desktop
a Visio stencil containing BPMN elements, which can be design tools for modeling various processes and integration
downloaded from their website. The benefits of using the sten- scenarios business processes. The diagram can be imported
cil include allowing the user to incorporate BPMN-standard into a process engine or copied into a document as a figure.
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Start Event: An event to begin the process.
Intermediate Event: Connects the end of one process to the
beginning of another process.
End Event: An event to simply end the process.
Figure 2.1. BPMN flow objects for events.
BPMN is a strong fit for diagramming operational proce- Flow objects activities are the tasks or subprocesses associ-
dures and processes. The use of the stencil and Microsoft Visio ated with the overall process. The task can be a single task or
creates an intuitive tool that helps users in modeling complex one that includes additional subtasks that may not need to be
operational processes. BPMN uses four basic categories of displayed within the current diagram. If need be, the additional
shapes familiar to business analysts to determine whether an steps of the subtask can be displayed within another diagram
activity is a procedure or a process. The four categories of and then referenced in the main process diagram. The standard
shapes are as follows: tasks that were used for this project are shown in Figure 2.2.
Flow objects gateways are decision markers to display where
· Flow objects (events, activities, gateways); information diverges or converges within the sequence flow.
· Artifacts (data objects, groups); Gateways are used for forking, merging, and joining paths as
· Connecting objects (sequence flow, message flow, associa- the sequence flows through the processes. For decision mak-
tion); and ing, they are used to show the direction, depending on the
· Swim lanes (pools, lanes). answer to typical questions, such as yes or no, or to more com-
plex questions that have three possible answers. For this proj-
The flow objects events typically affect the flow of the process ect, four main gateways were used (Figure 2.3).
by either cause or effect. The events can start the process, end Artifacts are provided within BPMN for the user to have a
the process, or have an intermediate effect within the process little more flexibility in presenting information about objects
to suggest several choices the process may precede. Three or tasks. They do not change the basic structure of the process
event items are used for this project, which are presented in but are model tools that provide additional notation or infor-
Figure 2.1. mation to the basic objects within the diagram. At the time
Task: A single process task by a participant within the lane.
Collapsed Subprocess: Part of the process that involves multiple steps
or tasks that do not necessarily need to be shown.
Loop Activity: An activity or task that is repeated within the process.
Figure 2.2. BPMN flow objects for activities.
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Parallel Gateway: Designates that either one flow can take two
alternative paths or two paths diverge into one flow. All criteria must be
met before the flow can proceed.
Complex Gateway: Designates that the decision results in a complex
answer or that there are complex issues surrounding the decision.
Inclusive Gateway: Designates that a decision needs to be made to
determine the path of the flow through the process.
Exclusive Gateway: Designates that a decision does not need to be made
to determine the path of the flow, but that the path is expected. All
criteria do not need to be met before the flow can proceed.
Figure 2.3. BPMN flow objects for gateways.
this report was prepared, BPMN had three predefined artifact that correspond to each owning agency. They are used in
types; however, this project only focused on two types of arti- BPMN to categorize functionalities. Swim lanes include either
facts (Figure 2.4). a pool, which represents each participant in the activity, or a
Connecting objects are used to connect the flow objects lane, which is a subpartition to categorize activities. For each
(events, activities, and gateways). They are the connectors or case study presented in this analysis, horizontal swim lanes are
flows in the process that show the many paths possible from used to present each of the agencies or working groups in an
the many activities or tasks. The diagrams in Figure 2.5 define agency that are involved. Vertical swim lanes are used to divide
all three BPMN types of connecting objects. the overall process into three core areas. Figure 2.6 shows ver-
In addition to the available elements, swim lanes, or cross- tical and horizontal representations of the pools and lanes
functional connections, are used to differentiate the elements diagrams.
Data Object: Displays the data required or produced by activities
or tasks.
Group Object: Displays for the reader when certain activities or
tasks occur at the same time. It is used primarily for documentation
or analysis purposes.
Figure 2.4. BPMN artifacts.
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Sequence Flow: Designates the main flow throughout the
process. The flow connects events to gateways, vice versa, or to
tasks or activities.
Message Flow: Designates the flow between two pools or two
business roles or participants. This cannot be used to connect
activities or events within the same pool.
Association Flow: Designates a relationship between an Artifact and a
Flow Object (task or gateway).
Figure 2.5. BPMN connecting objects.
Horizontal Pool
Horizontal Lane
Vertical Pool
Vertical Lane
Figure 2.6. BPMN pools and swim lanes.
