3 Ways to Make Planning Decisions Quickly
It’s easy to get side-tracked
It’s a common story: A plan is all systems go; public feedback is incorporated; and timetables are prepped in anticipation of final approval. Then, just as the board vote is about to take place, you hit a snag, and something outside your control threatens to throw things off course.
It’s in times like these that communication across departments is especially important to make decisions quickly to ensure things stay on track. Here are some ways you can facilitate interdepartmental decision making when issues come up that threatened to stall a plan.
1. Have a game plan.
It may seem obvious, but having a clear game plan is one of the most important things you can do as a planner to keep things moving forward. Understanding exactly who is responsible for what, and when, can significantly speed up interdepartmental decision making, especially when under pressure.
And while creating a detailed project plan can be time-intensive, bear in mind that the highest-quality game plans are often built on best practices learned elsewhere. In Columbus, OH, for example, COTA’s newly launched Transit System Redesign (TSR)drew heavily on ideas that Houston Metro implemented during their redesign. According to COTA service planner Zach Sunderland, the agency was inspired by Houston’s cross-departmental collaboration. That’s why they created no fewer than 5 working groups — managing everything from bus stops and route alignments to marketing and government relations. Each month, the working groups would get together to give updates on progress against their game plan.
By establishing this structure prior to the redesign efforts, the groups were able to have adequate representation from each department and allow the working groups to focus on the task assigned.
2. Speak the same language.
Using the same source material is key to ensure all parties understand exactly what needs to be done. RTC-Southern Nevada in Las Vegas has done this by utilizing Remix map links to communicate large scale detours with their marketing and communications teams. Instead of handing a stack of paper maps or PDF files requiring weeks back and forth, the planning and marketing teams now communicate using a common medium that includes specific line information and necessary stop details.
This ability to speak the same language and work from the same source materials has sped up the process between the two teams and eliminated the need for the usual back-and-forth lag time.
3. Avoid the abstract.
Service planning decisions often happen in the abstract. “High frequency” could mean a 10-minute headway to one person and 30-minute headway to someone else. Specificity is your best friend when making decisions with people on different teams. Visualizing impacts and then tailoring that visualization to the intended audience can give an additional layer of speed and clarity to the planning process and provide a platform for more efficient communication.
In the Phoenix area, Valley Metro service planner Joe Gregory uses visualizations to get as specific as possible when presenting service options to cities touched by the agency’s cross-jurisdictional service. Having the ability show each city the transit service proposed inside the city boundaries allows everyone to have a much clearer conversation about their inputs and the influence they have on the service.
These types of conversations have been useful for long range planning efforts as well. King County Metro in the Greater Seattle area built consensus across 39 jurisdictions for their 2040 Long Range Plan in 9 months, where in the past it would take up to two years for similar processes.
Using visualizations meant that both Valley Metro and King County Metro were able to increase the speed of their planning work, allowing more time for iteration and the consideration of different ideas.
The Importance of Clarity
Each of these instances emphasize the importance of clarity. The clarity of roles and responsibilities at COTA, plan-level details at RTC, and service planning impacts on jurisdictions at Valley Metro, all have allowed the agencies to make decisions faster and avoid ideas getting stuck along the way.
