Integrated Delivery of SHRP 2 Renewal Research Projects (2014)

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100 CHAPTER 5 Conclusions and Recommendations The research described in this report is part of the SHRP 2 Renewal focus area, which addresses the need to complete long-lasting highway projects in a quick fashion with minimal disruption to the traveling public. The research focused on developing a detailed integration/packaging matrix for grouping renewal products to satisfy multiple needs and developing a highly conceptualized and visualized tool model. Key work activities included the following:  Review of SHRP 2 Renewal projects and products, and development of expanded summaries.  Identification of various aspects/features of the renewal projects that can serve as a basis for product groupings (e.g., asset type involved, life-cycle phase impacted, technical area) and the different renewal product types (e.g., manuals, software, specifications).  Development of a preliminary integration/packaging matrix and tool framework/process.  Outreach to stakeholders and targeted users, via interviews with selected members of various AASHTO subcommittees and a half-day workshop at the TRB Annual Meeting.  Revision of integration/packaging matrix and tool framework/process.  Development of conceptualized integration tool and tool development plan. Conclusions The following are the major conclusions of the study:  The SHRP 2 Renewal focus area has included many substantive research projects that have developed (or will soon develop) products intended to help highway agencies achieve rapid highway renewal through various strategic objectives. The products are targeted to users at the functional/technical level (technical staff and low- to mid-level managers) and administrative/program levels (executives and other upper-level managers), are applicable to a variety of highway assets (e.g., bridges, pavements, tunnels), and can be used to address different needs throughout the highway life cycle. The products fall under several product categories, such as manuals and guideline documents, training and demonstration products, software tools, and informational products.  Many of the Renewal projects included a field testing component to evaluate the effectiveness of its product(s) and determine additional development needs. In addition, several included webinars and/or workshops to engage practitioners about product use and suggested improvements. Although only a few of the renewal projects (e.g., R01B, R05, R06C, R09, R21) appear to have had some level of implementation occur outside of the project, the AASHTO/FHWA/SHRP 2 Implementation Assistance Program is quickly changing that for some projects (e.g., R04, R07, R09, R10, R26).

101  Product/technology implementation can take place in several ways and at different levels within an agency. Interviews with AASHTO subcommittee members indicated that single-product implementation is usually led by the appropriate technical area, whereas integrated implementation is most likely to occur at the upper-management level but could happen at lower levels if there is high collaboration among the divisions/offices involved.  The concept of integrated implementation of Renewal products and the development of a software tool for identifying products for complementary use is viewed as very appealing, but very challenging. AASHTO member interview responses suggested that an integration software tool would be very valuable from the standpoint of being able to quickly and easily navigate to the desired information for one or more products. Major recommendations for such a tool included that it be (a) dynamic and updatable, (b) centered around problem/constraint identification and needs, (c) informative about product benefits and costs, (d) sharing or forum-oriented, and (e) attention grabbing. TRB workshop inputs cited the need for a simple tool with hard facts, bottom-line expected benefits, and sound information about the risks of implementation and ways to mitigate the risks.  Several barriers to the implementation of Renewal products exist. They include the barriers associated with implementing a single product to address a single need (e.g., implementation readiness, market impacts, lack of resources and/or staff, lack of knowledge and/or training, internal resistance to change), as well as the barriers associated with implementing a single product or multiple products to address multiple needs (e.g., lack of a champion or multi-discipline leader, increased effort, time and costs, increased uncertainty and risk, and selling issues).  The Renewal products address potential needs and concerns across a variety of agency activities. This means that, taken collectively, the size of the potential audience increases substantially over that of any one project individually. In order to conceptualize a tool that can serve this audience effectively, it is necessary to begin by approaching the broadest possible group and identify suitable filters (audience roles, project characteristics, agency priorities, etc.) that can help guide users through the results. This process will channel the audience into more narrowly defined groups and match them up with products that satisfy their specific requirements. Recommendations The SHRP 2 Renewal focus area includes an abundance of options with the potential to improve existing infrastructure renewal practices. To maximize the return on investment from this research program, these products need to be efficiently integrated at all levels within transportation agencies. The list below summarizes key recommendations to enable increased application of the Renewal research program products.

102  Create an integration tool that will help agencies identify Renewal research program products that fit their needs. The scope of this research is sufficiently large that agencies will need assistance in sorting through the products for implementation. Particularly in the context of rapid renewal, integrating the research results into agency processes is critical in order for them to be incorporated into actual projects. Decision makers need additional information in order to evaluate products prior to implementation. In the process, they will also benefit if the tool can quickly filter out results that are not relevant to their situation.  Help agencies discover research products easily by maintaining a simple approach that does not demand significant advance knowledge or preparation from the user. The practical adoption of an integration tool will depend significantly on its usability. Given the breadth of the Renewal research program, it is best not to expect agency users to be familiar with all aspects of the program. Similarly, it may not be practical to require the collection of detailed information prior to accessing the research. As a result, the tool should be streamlined so that users can find appropriate resources with a minimum of effort.  Focus on offering solutions to existing agency problems where research can be implemented. One area agencies can be counted on to know better than anyone else is what their current challenges and problems are. Using this knowledge to identify solutions is an excellent way to ensure that new research results are readily welcomed and have real practical impact at the agency level. A solution-focused approach allows the information an agency already possesses about its situation and its concerns to shape the ultimate recommendation.  Promote integration of products (where appropriate) by identifying potential relationships and packaging multiple products together. Agencies can increase efficiency and promote quicker adoption of Renewal research program results by taking advantage of opportunities to implement multiple products. Some research products will frequently be paired with natural companions while also combining with other products on occasion, as the situation dictates. Recommending a bundle that includes several research products may be particularly suitable for complex renewal projects. Combined with an emphasis on solving existing problems, this allows the circumstances of a project or a specific set of agency needs to determine when and where products should be combined for implementation.  Provide guidance and additional resources for users who need to learn more about a specific product prior to deployment. A well-designed integration tool can provide recommendations even with fairly minimal input, but agencies will typically want support materials for further evaluation before making a final decision. In addition, guidelines and documentation will be needed to plan the actual implementation and support product deployment. While technical details are best avoided during the initial phase of identifying products that are candidates for implementation, they should be made available to allow a thorough evaluation once a research product has been selected.

103 Agencies will benefit from a complete understanding of product capabilities and may have previous research of their own to assist in the evaluation. All of these elements can be achieved within the framework proposed for the PBA tool. Since the tool framework incorporates all of the research results together, agencies can use it to create customized recommendations based on their specific needs and address their biggest challenges. The design of the tool enables a streamlined process for integrating research products while also making available the detailed information backing the recommendations. Because of the extensive needs for renewal of existing highway infrastructure, agencies are likely to benefit significantly from such a tool to accelerate and improve the quality of their decision making.