Use of Functional Silos to Optimize Agency Decision Making

Project status

Completed

Start date: 10/01/04
End date: 06/30/07

Researcher(s)

Principal investigator:

• Tom Maze

Co-principal investigators:

• Omar Smadi | 515-294-7110 | smadi@iastate.edu (project list)

Other authors: T. H. Maze, Omar G. Smadi, Neil Burke, and C. Ian MacGillivray

Student researcher:

• Neil Burke

About the research

The purpose of the project was to document how agencies make positive use of functional silos and then efficiently allocate resources across them. Functional silos are considered to be any group of expertise within a transportation organization that focuses on one area of expertise. Often, different functional silos compete for agency resources.

Functional silos impact their agency positively by allowing members to accumulate expertise in the area of the silo. On the other hand, silos can have a negative impact on resource allocation The solution to efficient resource allocation is bridging the silos and making overall decisions that offer the most satisfactory solutions globally.

Publications

Project web page: http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/research/silos/index.htm

Report: http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/reports/resource-silos.pdf (1.18 mb pdf) February 2008

Tech transfer summary: Use of Functional Silos to Optimize Agency Decision-Making (67 kb pdf) Feb 2008

Sponsor(s)/partner(s)

Sponsor(s): Midwest Regional University Transportation Center