WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES: PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND INFORMATION SUPPORT

Washington State Ferries' (WSF's) newest performance measures emanate from broader issues in transportation planning and a public mood toward less government. A multimodal transportation perspective and program accountability are now key concepts in management within Washington State government. The development of performance measures is guided by WSF's strategic plan, which sets out the mission, goals, and strategic initiatives of the organization. The process uses three techniques to maximize success--alignment (of goals, measures, and actions), feedback, and oversight. Although the final set of performance measures leaves room for improvement, particularly with regard to output versus outcome, these measures represent significant change for WSF. Performance measurement makes WSF accountable to the ferry rider and the taxpayer. Implementation of performance measures soon leads to the issue of data support and information systems. The goal of measurement is decision support. Without good data or a good information system that manages the data, the decision support function is nullified. The ferry system has had variable experience in information technology projects. Taking advantage of lessons learned and using a comprehensive, deliberate approach, WSF is proposing an information model that uses industry best practices and a user-driven system.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/1704-12
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=WASHINGTON+STATE+FERRIES%3a+PERFORMANCE+MEASURES+AND+INFORMATION+SUPPORT&author=C.+Gihring&author=W.+Greene&publication_year=2000
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309066824
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1704, Transit: Rail Transit and Maintenance, Commuter Rail, Major Activity Center Circulation Systems, Light Rail Transit, and Ferry Service.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Gihring, C K
  • Greene, W
• Publication Date: 2000

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 93-99
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1704
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Decision support systems; Ferries; Information systems; Measurement; Performance; Strategic planning
• Identifier Terms: Washington State Ferries
• Geographic Terms: Washington (State)
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Marine Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00798999
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309066824
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 25 2000 12:00AM