The Regional Exchange Toolbox (RET)
Welcome to the TPM Regional Exchange Toolbox! This site provides resources, checklists and templates to help you plan a successful TPM regional exchange. The regional exchange toolbox is for those new to conducting regional exchanges, planning committees that want to be able to efficiently plan a regional exchange, leadership who are considering hosting or having staff participate in a TPM regional exchange, and agency staff who have been invited to participate in a TPM regional exchange.
Transportation Performance Management (TPM) Regional Exchanges are for sharing best practices, responses to emerging issues and lessons learned related to TPM topics of mutual interest. They are self-facilitated events using guidance and resources that will be available in the Toolbox. An agency or group of agencies will be encouraged to use the Toolbox to design a Regional Exchange and implement it. The Toolbox could be used for both in-person and virtual events.
Getting Started
There are several different ways to use the TPM Regional Exchange toolbox, depending on your experience designing and conducting regional exchanges. Feel free to read the guidance, review the sample documents, and use the templates that meet your needs and the needs of your Regional Exchange planning team:
- Use the index to access the resources by 1) pre-planning, 2) planning and implementation, and 3) post-event phases. You can also filter your search within each phase for sample documents or templates.
- Use the Search box to look for a specific resource.
- Click on Additional Resources to view a curated list of Regional Exchange and other Peer Exchange sample summary reports, sample presentation decks, research reports, and websites.
Pre-Planning
start up to six months before the Regional Exchange
Pre-Planning Activities
- Determine TPM regional issues to be addressed (See Scoping Document Template and Sample Scoping Survey)
- Determine expected outcomes (See Scoping Document Template and Sample Scoping Survey
- Choose date, time, location, host (See Scoping Document Template)
- Select participants
- Decide who needs to provide support(See Scoping Document Template)
Special Considerations for Virtual Events
- Make sure regional exchange roles are clear and have a contingency plan in place to address technical issues (see Roles and Responsibilities Template)
- Make sure the goals, objectives and expected outcome are clear (see Scoping Document Template and Sample Scoping Survey)
- Limit the attendees (use the scope and objectives in your scoping document as a guide for who to invite)
- Shorten the session time compared with an in-person event
Resources
Scoping
Roles and Responsibilities
Pre-Planning Timeline
Planning and Implementation
start 4 months before the Regional Exchange
Planning and Implementation Activities
- Establish planning team
- Schedule kickoff to develop detailed scope and objectives (see Kickoff Meeting Agenda Template and Sample Scoping Survey)
- Start to plan logistics
- Develop Agenda (see Agenda Template – 1 Day Session or Agenda Template – 2 Half Days)
- Invite Participants (see Invitation Template and Attendee Confirmation Tracking Template)
- Coordinate presentations (see Presentation Template)
- Develop Materials (see Packet Template)
- Finalize Logistics
- Finalize Materials
- Send pre-event packet (see Sample Background .docx)
- Conduct event (see Sample Run of Show, Sample Presentation and Sample Ground Rules .docx
Special Considerations for Virtual Events
- HBR recommends displaying a welcome screen and instructions as participants sign in, such as “Welcome to the Regional Exchange! Please exit full screen (but maximize your viewing window), open your chat window (by clicking on “chat” in the toolbar), and raise your hand (by clicking “raise hand” in the toolbar).”
- Engage with your participants
- Make sure participants are prepared (see TEMPLATE Regional Exchange Background Pre-Workshop Packet)
- Make sure attendees know how to use the technology – set up a test “lobby” so they can test their connection and practice using the software
- Icebreaker (there are lots of examples online)
- Breakout sessions
- Surveys, polls, voting
- Collaboration tools
- Use the meeting software chat function
- Engage with quiet participants
- Establish ground rules (see Sample Ground Rules .docx)
- Be clear about next steps (see Action Planning Template)
- Take plenty of breaks (HBR suggests 15-minute breaks for every 90 minutes of virtual exchange)
- Focus on dialogue and screen sharing as opposed to long presentations
Resources
Agendas
- Kickoff Meeting Agenda Template
- Sample Agenda
- Agenda Template – 1 Day Session
- Agenda Template – 2 Half Days
Invitations
Attendee Lists
Run of Show
Presentation Decks
Session Packets
- Sample Packet
- Packet Template
- Sample Ground Rules .docx
- Sample Ground Rules .pdf
- Sample Background .docx
- Sample Background .pdf
Pre-session Surveys
Planning and Implementation Timeline
Post-event
start immediately after the Regional Exchange
Post-Event Activities
- Email attendees (see Post-Event Email Template and Reimbursement Form Template – if applicable)
- Conduct post-event debrief (see Post-Event Debrief Template)
- Document proceedings
- Summarize results
- Draft and finalize Summary Report (see Summary Report Template)
- Publish Summary Report and other materials
- Conduct post-event action planning (see Action Planning Template)
Special Considerations for Virtual Events
- Get attendee feedback (see Attendee Feedback Template)
- Ask attendees to review and provide feedback on the DRAFT summary report (see Summary Report Template)
Resources
Attendee Feedback
Summary Reports
Post-Event Debrief
Reimbursement Forms
Post-Event Email
Post-Event Action Planning
Post-Event Timeline
Additional Resources
Virtual Events
- (Adapted from Harvard Business Review articles) HBR. 2020. Virtual Offsites that Work. Accessed June 2020.
- HBR. 2020. What it Takes to Run a Great Virtual Meeting. Accessed June 2020.
Summary Reports
- Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. 2014. A Peer Exchange on Aligning Data Systems to Communicate with Decision Makers: Supporting Risk-Based Asset Management.
- FHWA. 2009. Asset Management and Management of Highway Performance: Peer Exchange.
- FHWA. 2011. Asset Management and Safety Peer Exchange – Beyond Pavements and Bridges.
- FHWA. 2012. Asset Management Peer Exchange: Transportation Asset Management – A Focus on Implementation.
- FHWA. 2006. Integrating Asset Management into the Metropolitan Planning Process: A Peer Exchange.
- FHWA. 2008. Pavement Management Systems Peer Exchange Program Report.
- TPM Pooled Fund. 2019. TPM Peer Exchange Summary Report.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. Asset Management in Planning and Operations: A Peer Exchange.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Performance Management Reporting Peer Exchange Final Report – NCHRP Project 20-24, Task 124.
Presentation Decks
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Performance Management Reporting Peer Exchange Toolkit – NCHRP Project 20-24, Task 124.
Research on Best Practices
- Applied Research Associates. 2017. Best Practices for State DOT Research Program Peer Exchanges. Prepared for NCHRP 20-111G for the AASHTO Research Advisory Council.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Using Peer Exchanges to Improve the Effectiveness of Strategic Highway Safety Plans. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.