FY 2007 DelMar Division Performance Plan

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Table of Contents

DelMar Division Vision, Mission and Core Values

DelMar Division Organization Chart

DelMar Division Goals

Introduction

Key Performance Trends

DelMar DivisionUnit Performance Objectives

• Safety
• Mobility and Productivity (Congestion Mitigation)
• Global Connectivity
• Environment
• National Homeland Security
• Organizational Excellence
• Corporate Management Strategies

DelMar Division Vision and Values

Vision

The DelMar Division will be the choice Division in FHWA in organization excellence and providing a superior highway system to its citizens.

Mission

We provide leadership in achieving the agency's strategic goals and stewardship in administering the Federal-aid program in DelMar. We will carry out this mission in cooperation with our internal and external partners.

Core Values

Integrity

Ethics, fairness and honesty define the way we do our work and conduct ourselves.

Accountability

We anticipate and efficiently respond to our internal and external customer and partner needs. We carry out our responsibilities in a Timely and Quality manner.

Commitment

We are committed to the pursuit of excellence and the highest professional standards. We demonstrate enthusiasm, energy, and pride in carrying out our responsibilities.

Agility

We embrace change, and demonstrate the flexibility and attitude need to respond to change effectively and help our organization improve its performance.

Collaboration

We maximize our collective talents through team building and partnerships based on mutual trust, respect, support, cooperation, and communication.

Diversity

We consider people our greatest resource and we value and respect individual differences and unique contributions when carrying out our responsibilities.

Leadership

We nurture the development and use of leadership skills in all of our employees to meet our many challenges and responsibilities.

Creativity

We promote, support and reward initiative and innovation and accept the inherent risks.

Personal Development

We are committed to continuous personal and professional growth through a wide variety of learning opportunities.

Family

We support, care about, listen to and respond to employees and their family needs.

Respect

We value and demonstrate consideration for others in the workplace; communications are polite and courteous; and we treat each other as we would wish to be treated.

DelMar Division Organization Chart

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DelMar Division Goals

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• Improved program delivery and stewardship in the two-state area

• Improved organizational flexibility and efficiency (better use of financial, human, and technology resources) to achieve agency strategic goals and other challenges

• Improved service to partners in terms of quality and timeliness

• Enhanced employee development and career opportunities

• A model for future use
  

Introduction

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The DelMar Division Fiscal Year 2007 Unit Performance Plan (UPP) outlines the Division's performance objectives and measures to achieve the Agency's annual and multi-year goals and objectives as stated in the Federal Highway Administration Fiscal Year 2007 Strategic Implementation Plan. It addresses the Agency's Vital Few initiatives - Safety, Congestion Mitigation, and Environmental Stewardship and Streamlining, and it includes objectives and actions developed in collaboration with our partners to address local initiatives and priorities.

The FY 2007 UPP emphasizes results and sets out a very ambitious target for 2007 and beyond by including specific target measures and baselines. The UPP also includes specific activities with a definitive end state to manage risks and to enhance our program delivery and other key processes.

Individual Performance Objectives

The plan is integrated with Individual Performance Objectives (IPOs) to ensure that each individual contributes to achieving the overall goal of the Agency and Division. Since our plan emphasizes results (what and why), each individual is provided the maximum flexibility to identify and implement activities and strategies (how) to help achieve the results. In addition, the IPOs emphasize leadership, quality and personal growth.

Performance Tracking

During Fiscal Year 2007, the Division will monitor its progress quarterly using a Division tracking system as well as the Director of Field Services – South (DFS-South) Dashboard Indicator. Depending on the progress, appropriate actions will be employed to achieve desired results.

UPP Development

Working from individual performance objectives and the Fiscal Year 2006 Performance Plan as a base, each team drafted their section of the Fiscal Year 2007 Unit Performance Plan, which was then consolidated as the Unit Performance Plan. This was done while taking into account several factors including:

• Agency's National Strategic Implementation Plan
• Division-wide Risk Assessment including mega projects
• Division Fire Plan
• State Department of Transportation Business Plans
• The Division and State DOT current and projected resources (staffing, information systems, budgets, etc.)

Key Performance Trends

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Safety

The DelMar Division plans to vigorously support national safety objectives by assisting the States to develop comprehensive Strategic Highway Safety Plans by the end of FY 2007. Our strategies in FY 2007 will also target major contributors to overall fatalities such as roadway departure, intersection, and pedestrian. In Maryland, the FY 2007 goal is to reduce fatalities to 605 in 2006; our long-term goal is to reduce the number to 549 by 2010. In Delaware, the FY 2007 goal is to reduce fatalities to 135 from 144 in FY 2006; our long-term goal is to reduce the number to 100 by 2012.

Mobility and Productivity

Congestion Mitigation

The DelMar Division is using multi-party self-assessments as one measurement of how state and local partners are contributing towards achieving the FHWA Vital Few goal of congestion mitigation. These self-assessments were first conducted in FY 2003.

Ride Quality

The State of Maryland is committed to quality pavement construction and continues to rank among the national leaders for ride quality on its NHS infrastructure. The State is using an automated Pavement Management Inventory System to assess the condition of its roadway surface annually. Maryland has developed and fully implemented a profiler and operator certification program to help improve the ride quality of its NHS. Additionally, the State has revised its ride specs to allow for incentive/disincentive for good/poor ride quality. Maryland reported good ride quality for 63.2% of vehicle-mile traveled (VMT) on its NHS during calendar year 2005 as compared to the national average of 51.8% reported for FY 2005. The 2006 data will be provided in spring of 2007. DelMar's 2007 goal is to increase good IRI on Maryland's NHS to 65.1%. To help extend service life of Maryland's infrastructure and ultimately improve ride quality, DelMar will lead the effort to increase the level of Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design implementation in Maryland by 20%.

State of Delaware collects and reports ride quality data biennially. For calendar year 2005 DelDOT reported good ride quality for 55.1% of VMT on its NHS. It is DelMar's goal to increase this data to 57.00% in year 2007.

Materials

Both Maryland and Delaware are developing and promoting quality assurance practices. Maryland will conduct a Quality Assurance Process Review for District 6 in FY 2007. All other Maryland Districts have undergone this process previously. Additionally, Maryland is currently in the process of developing a Materials Management System (MMS) Strategic Plan, which is to be completed in FY 2007. Similarly, Delaware will conduct an Independent Assurance (IA) Program Process Review in FY 2007.

Structures

The FHWA bridge program is focused on improving bridge reliability, safety, and durability in order to meet traffic capacity and weight demands. The primary performance measure used by FHWA and the States is the amount of structurally and functionally deficient bridges (see Figures for State trends). In MD, at the end of FY 2006, 34.8% and 29.6% of deck area on the non-NHS and NHS respectively was considered deficient. The FY 2007 goals are 33.8% and 28.6%. In DE, at the end of FY 2006, 27.2% and 21.2% of deck area on the non-NHS and NHS respectively was considered deficient. The FY 2007 goals are 26.2% and 20.2%. The FY 2010 national goals are 22.9 and 19.8%. FY 2007 initiatives aimed at reducing the number of future deficient bridges include implementation of the AASHTO Load and Resistance Factor Design code and increasing the number of projects that utilize high performance concrete. To address safety and reliability we intend to mitigate the risk of bridges vulnerable to hydraulic scour by prioritizing corrective actions and improving monitoring procedures during flood events.

Global Connectivity

For FY 2007, DelMar will work towards improving progress on including freight issues into the planning process. To date, two of the seven Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) have established Freight Advisory Subcommittees, and we will try to influence the remaining MPOs of the advisability of having a distinct Subcommittee devoted to freight issues. The function is to provide the public and the freight movement community with a voice in the transportation planning process.

Environment

The DelMar Performance Plan includes several initiatives under Environmental Streamlining and Stewardship. Some of these initiatives include: Ensuring that 100% of EA & EIS projects are entered into EDTS and have established timeframes. In so doing, the Division will seek to ensure that 90% of EIS projects with FY 2007 completion dates meet the scheduled completion dates and that 100% of EIS's are processed from Notice of Intent to Record of Decision within 36 months.

Maryland SHA's Business Plan FY 2004-2007 includes several initiatives under Environmental Stewardship. Some of these initiatives include: Ensuring that 100% of EA & EIS projects are entered into EDTS and have established timeframes. Annually meeting 100 percent of project-related environmental commitments; creating or restoring 200 acres of wetlands and five miles of stream by June 30, 2010 to benefit watershed water quality; reducing invasive species on its rights of way; and meeting 100 percent of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit conditions.

The DelMar Division is using the number of Exemplary Ecosystem Initiatives (EEIs) and Exemplary Human Environment Initiatives (EHEIs) as measures of environmental stewardship. The Division objectives are to identify a total of 4 EEIs and 2 EHEI's in FY 2007. The DelMar Division will concurrently identify and promote the dissemination of exemplary examples of context sensitive solutions as implemented by DelDOT and MD SHA.

National Security

The DelMar Division plans to support national security objectives by assisting the States to implement actions to aggressively work on closing the identified security gaps in the transportation system. This will be performed by using the results of the Security Self Assessment to identify opportunity areas and develop a plan of action to address these areas.

Organizational Excellence

Stewardship

In the Stewardship area we will update our Stewardship Plan based on SAFETEA-LU, achieve all of our Financial Integrity Review and Evaluation (FIRE) goals including reduction of inactive balances, ensure that mega projects remain on time and within budget, conduct Risk analyses, and implement a strong Process Review program. We will also finalize and implement our Mutual Service Standards.

Professional Development and Employee Satisfaction

Internally, we will continue with our Leadership Program, enhance our Policy and Procedures Manual, implement strategies to improve FHWA All-Employee Survey scores and partner scores, conduct follow-up surveys, and enhance internal communication. We will also continue to support employee development and training needs and programs.

In early FY 2007 we implemented a merger of Delaware and Maryland Division Offices and have created a new organizational structure to implement the merger. It is anticipated that the change may adversely impact employee satisfaction. We will make every effort to maintain the employee satisfaction scores at levels of the FY 2006 results. Realizing that the merger has a major impact on employees, we have set our FY 2007 target scores for employee satisfaction a levels below the FY 2006 short survey results for the Delaware and Maryland offices. Our long term target (2010) for the employee satisfaction score is 80. Externally, we will work towards increasing Partner overall satisfaction ratings (the FHWA Partner Satisfaction Survey results) from 3.71 in FY 2006 to 3.80 in FY 2007 in Delaware, and from 3.56 in FY 2006 to 3.70 in FY 2007 in Maryland.

Major Projects

We will expand efforts to provide stewardship and oversight on major projects to ensure that these projects remain on time and within budget. Our efforts will include but are not limited to:

• Assure projects are compliant with all federal requirements
• Maintain effective project relationships
• Lead the NEPA process for the Intercounty Connector (ICC) Project
• Ensure that project commitments are implemented
• Coordinate the review of the ICC Initial Finance Plan and Woodrow Wilson Bridge (WWB) Project's Annual Finance Plan Update for acceptance
• Coordinate the review of ICC's Project management Plan for Compliance with FHWA regulations and guidelines

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