Develop a Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) to achieve quality in project development and ultimately produce a successful ICMS.

Lessons from the ICM Implementation Guide.

Date Posted
02/20/2014
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Identifier
2014-L00668

Integrated Corridor Management: Implementation Guide and Lessons Learned

Summary Information

The Integrated Corridor Management: Implementation Guide and Lessons Learned document is intended for use by adopters of integrated corridor management (ICM) approaches and strategies to address congestion and travel time reliability issues within specific travel corridors. It introduces the topic of ICM and identifies the type of information system, known as the integrated corridor management system (ICMS), used to support transportation network managers and operators in applying ICM.

The U.S. DOT partnered with eight transportation agencies in large metropolitan areas, referred to as "Pioneer Sites," to research effective means of implementing ICM approaches in their major travel corridors. The guide discusses lessons learned that arose during the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT’s) research initiative.

Lessons Learned

The purpose of the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) is to give the project owners/stakeholders a tool to manage the complexity of the project. The SEMP helps to lead the technical management effort for the ICMS and is the vehicle by which all project stakeholders stay informed about the project activities and how they will be managed. Stakeholders should be able to reference the SEMP to help them understand what tasks will be performed during the project and what roles and responsibilities they have in performing and/or reviewing those tasks. The following are lessons learned from the Pioneer Sites to assist with the development of a successful SEMP.

  • Define the systems engineering process. The systems engineering process that the system development team will use needs to be documented in detail. This includes identifying the system analysis methodology, the requirements documentation and management methodology, and the traceability mechanisms to be used, as well as how needs elicitation, walkthroughs, and testing will be conducted.
  • Define the semantics behind terminology. Often it is found that terminologies differ in meaning (e.g., high-level and detailed design; or system, subsystem, element, function), so it is critical to the success of the project that terms be well defined and understood and agreed upon among stakeholders.
  • Educate stakeholders. It has been found that if the stakeholders have little understanding of the project control processes then the project will suffer. It is critical that stakeholders understand the process and are prepared for their roles in defining the system and managing system development.
  • Maintain stakeholder engagement. The project and task leads need to make sure that stakeholders stay engaged in the process and are not "burned out" by the work. Activities need to be well organized and stakeholder roles need to be well communicated so expectations will be clear and time will not be wasted, especially when it comes to user needs workshops and system walkthroughs.

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