1. Research Program Strategic Plan
Jean Wallace| Assistant Division Director, MPPM Division
January 12, 2016

2. Project Purpose and Objective
Develop a 5-year Strategic Plan to guide MnDOT’s investments in and management of its research activities.
Objective:
1) Describe the primary purpose for MnDOT research
2) Establish research focus areas aligned with MnDOT’s strategic goals
3) Summarize desired research goals
4) Describe research priority areas for achieving the desired outcomes
5) List performance or efficiency measures to determine the impact of research
11/7/2018

3. Key Questions and Plan Design
The Strategic Plan has been drafted to show how MnDOT should address the four available levers for developing a next-generation research program
How should we refine the program’s research focus?
How should the research governance and leadership structure evolve?
How should we streamline decision-making processes?
How should we assess and communicate the value of the research program?
The Plan is a conceptual and agenda-setting guide. In implementation of the plan, the strategies must be translated into internal actions and changes.
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4. Internal Technical Advisory Group Feedback
Research Areas:
Consistently define research across MnDOT
Specialty offices to identify and recommend research priorities to MnDOT leadership
Governance:
Specialty offices to better coordinate and communicate with Research Services
Specialty offices will be transparent and accountable to MnDOT management and engage external advisory boards (with requisite technical expertise) for feedback
PMs to ensure that research contractors meet MnDOT’s needs, not the converse
Decision-making:
Retain technical decision-making such as project selection within specialty offices & TRIG, and project management and implementation at the specialty office level
Communication:
Present a clear and simple picture of MnDOT’s research enterprise at the portfolio level
Consolidate and track all research projects centrally, through the implementation lifecycle

5. Plan Structure and Strategic Recommendations
MINNESOTA GO VISION FOR TRANSPORTATION
Minnesota’s multimodal transportation system maximizes the health of people, the environment and its economy
THE GOAL OF RESEARCH
To acquire and apply the knowledge MnDOT needs to realize its vision
MINNESOTA IS CHANGING
Being strategic about research will help MnDOT meet Minnesota’s changing transportation needs
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Optional Tagline Goes Here |  mndot.gov/

6. What research should MnDOT prioritize?
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7. Strategic Recommendation #1: Setting a Research Direction
MnDOT leaders should engage TRIG and Specialty Office directors in a priority setting exercise and create a feedback loop
Step 1: MnDOT leaders should use the SMTP Guiding Indicators in conjunction with the SMTP Top Five trends to first develop an agency-wide research strategy discussion, requesting the following information from TRIG members and Specialty Office directors:
How have your recent projects addressed the top five trends and guiding indicators, and how will your program / Office do so in the next five years (2017 –2022)?
How does your program / office measure realized system impacts (or potential system impacts) as a result of research and how will you accomplish this in future?
Which obsolete or less important topic areas should MnDOT disinvest from?
What is your program’s current level of annual research spending in each of the top five trends areas? How much would you like to spend every year going forward, and why? In other words, what is the aspirational funding gap?
Step 2: MnDOT leaders should convene a stakeholder visioning session to develop further clarity and consensus and narrow objectives and priorities.
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8. Governance: Funding Structure for the Research Services Program
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9. Strategic Recommendation #2: Tracking Research Investments
MnDOT must develop a comprehensive understanding and tracking system for its research investments.
MnDOT should examine past accounts to develop at least an order of magnitude estimate of its overall research expenditures over the last five to six fiscal year funding cycles.
MnDOT should streamline its research tracking and accounting process so that MnDOT leadership, Research Services, Specialty Office directors, and the proposed MnDOT Research Champion can quickly obtain customizable research funding and expenditure reports through an enterprise wide tracking system.
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10. Governance: Broad Approach to Research Spending
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11. Strategic Recommendation #3: Setting Investment Levels
MnDOT should at a minimum maintain its aggregate research spending level in real terms, and mark overall spending to revenues in the future.
Develop a comprehensive understanding of research investments (Recommendation #2) for last five to six fiscal years and then mark this to revenues to identify a target
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12. Governance: Strategic Principles
Integration over separation: close coordination between stakeholders
Accountability: a comprehensive view of MnDOT’s entire research and implementation portfolio, coupled with a Research Champion role and external Research Advisory Group
Specialist Expert Committees: Deep technical experts provide advice, and evaluate project proposals and results, and help make project funding decision, along with implementation recommendations for research results
Value Capture: funded implementation / deployment and benefits tracking, all consolidated within the Research Services office
Strategic Responsibility: a feedback loop to influence MnDOT’s organizational strategy through research, which in turn is advised by a mix of public and private stakeholders
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13. Strategic Recommendation #4: Streamlining Governance
MnDOT must refine its governance structure to better reflect its decision- making principles and clearly establish roles and responsibilities
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14. Strategic Recommendation #5: Life-cycle Project Tracking
MnDOT should track research projects throughout their life-cycle, and until at least five years after project results have been implemented.
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15. Strategic Recommendation #6: Taking a Portfolio Approach
MnDOT should identify the value and impact of its research at a program level
Report program benefits holistically over time – monetize and quantify the outcomes where possible, and otherwise document them rigorously
Provide conceptual guidance and educational resources for staff on comprehensive benefits assessment.
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16. Next Steps Final plan expected on January 16, 2017 Implementation:
Conduct a priority-setting exercise to take this policy-level plan to an investment strategy, then to programming/project selection (similar to MnDOT’s capital programming process)
Investigate how best to coordinate all research projects into one tracking system
Establish a research advisory committee. This group is proposed to serve a dual role as the an Innovation Council (STIC) to support the Federal Highway Administration’s Every Day Counts initiative that emphasizes deployment of proven technologies.
11/7/2018

17. Thank you! Research Program Strategic Plan
Jean Wallace |
1/12/17