What metrics should you track to stay on top of transportation planning deadlines?

1 Project schedule

One of the most important metrics to track is the project schedule, which shows the planned and actual start and end dates of each task, milestone, and deliverable in your transportation planning project. The project schedule helps you monitor the status of your activities, identify and resolve any delays or risks, and communicate with your team and stakeholders about the expectations and deadlines. To track your project schedule, you can use tools such as Gantt charts, calendars, or dashboards that show the dependencies, durations, and resources of each task.

2 Cost and budget

Another key metric to track is the cost and budget of your transportation planning project, which measures the estimated and actual expenses of your resources, materials, equipment, and services. The cost and budget metric helps you control the financial aspects of your project, compare the planned and actual spending, and adjust your scope or resources accordingly. To track your cost and budget, you can use tools such as spreadsheets, reports, or graphs that show the breakdown, variance, and forecast of your project costs.

3 Quality and performance

A third metric to track is the quality and performance of your transportation planning project, which evaluates the standards, criteria, and indicators of your deliverables, processes, and outcomes. The quality and performance metric helps you ensure that your project meets the expectations and requirements of your stakeholders, customers, and users, and that it delivers the intended benefits and impacts. To track your quality and performance, you can use tools such as checklists, audits, or surveys that measure the satisfaction, usability, and effectiveness of your project outputs and outcomes.

4 Stakeholder engagement

A fourth metric to track is the stakeholder engagement of your transportation planning project, which assesses the level of involvement, communication, and feedback of your internal and external stakeholders. The stakeholder engagement metric helps you build and maintain good relationships with your team members, clients, partners, and beneficiaries, and that you address their needs, concerns, and suggestions. To track your stakeholder engagement, you can use tools such as meetings, newsletters, or social media that facilitate the information exchange, collaboration, and participation of your stakeholders.

5 Risk and issue management

A fifth metric to track is the risk and issue management of your transportation planning project, which identifies, analyzes, and mitigates any potential or actual threats or problems that may affect your project objectives, scope, or deadlines. The risk and issue management metric helps you prevent or minimize the negative impacts of your project uncertainties, challenges, and changes, and that you implement contingency plans or corrective actions. To track your risk and issue management, you can use tools such as registers, matrices, or logs that document the sources, likelihood, severity, and response of your project risks and issues.

6 Lessons learned

A sixth metric to track is the lessons learned of your transportation planning project, which captures and shares the knowledge, experience, and best practices that you gained from your project activities, results, and feedback. The lessons learned metric helps you improve your project management skills, processes, and tools, and that you apply your learning to your future projects or other contexts. To track your lessons learned, you can use tools such as reports, databases, or workshops that collect, store, and disseminate your project insights and recommendations.