Documenting the Movement and Place process
Project teams need to document the outcomes of each step of the Movement and Place process, in particular:
- the vision, objectives, and evaluation criteria from Step 1
- maps and analysis from Steps 2 and 3
- a map of issues and opportunities in the study area, from Step 4
- scenarios, assumptions, and options considered, from Step 5
- the preferred option, risks, sensitivities, and trade-offs from Step 6
- the implementation strategy or actions (including owners), from Step 6.
To help document a project or plan and report to decision-makers, we encourage you to use the Movement and Place collaboration report.
Documenting assumptions, trade-offs, and sensitivities is particularly relevant where the Movement and Place process is split between projects or owners (such as when the outcome of a needs assessment is handed over to a strategic business case team).
It is important that project teams document the shared place-based vision for a project, and if necessary hand this over to others for subsequent work stages. This avoids the risk of subsequent teams or stages losing sight of the vision and objectives.
These are touchstones for the project, and need to be well-understood by decision-makers throughout the project life cycle so they can inform more detailed investigation, changes over time, or changes in approach. Your project documentation can help to prevent ‘project drift’ or erosion of benefits.
See the Movement and Place Evaluator’s Guide for further advice on how decision-makers refer to project inputs and outputs to evaluate proposals.
Documenting collaboration
Practitioners need to document who was involved in the collaborative process, as well as what their views were, and what trade-offs were made. Reporting could take the form of a table as shown below. Reporting needs to:
- identify the common ground between stakeholders
- identify any areas of difference, objections raised and decisions made
- list any criteria for re-assessment of those decisions, or areas for decision-makers to consider
- provide minutes of meetings that select the preferred scenario.
Consensus
| Position | Consultees | Assumption/trigger for review |
|---|---|---|
| Lane width of 3.2m | All (list?) | Buses use link Speed 50km/h - if traffic calming adopted, review |
Trade-offs
| Supported view | Alternative view | Assumption/trigger for review |
|---|---|---|
| 50km/h speed limit to enable efficient freight traffic | 40km/h speed limit to enable tree planting and improve pedestrian safety (List people) | Tier 1 freight route Signal timing at X junction prefers this route over XYZ |
Implementation plan
An implementation plan for the selected preferred option is required, detailing actions that will embed Movement and Place within the project, plan or operations and communicated to the appropriate decision-makers and stakeholders. An implementation plan may include:
- strategic actions related to programs, strategies, and plans
- project objectives, options, and geographic boundaries
- a review of business case funding and assurance
- regulatory change and policy guidance
- customer service standards and performance measures
- operational budgets and asset management plans.
Monitoring outcomes
The outcomes of Movement and Place projects need to be monitored by agencies and reviewed using the performance indicators identified during the project formation. During delivery phases reviews should be annual. During operational phases reviews might be less frequent, e.g. five-yearly. For smaller scale projects, consider more frequent monitoring, especially where the project is a tactical intervention.
Reviews should aim to identify:
- the progress of benefits being realised
- further place improvements
- opportunities to increase active transport
- unexpected impacts (both greater and less than anticipated).
Teams should use their best efforts to implement the outcomes including, where relevant, the spatial arrangement proposed through the Movement and Place approach.
Continuous improvement
Movement and Place aims for a culture of continuous improvement in planning and project development. Project teams are encouraged to reflect on constraints, document problems and lessons learnt in relation to the process, and share these with other project teams. This supports a collaborative and iterative process across place and movement disciplines. In this way, each project can build on previous experience, and the project or plan currently being worked on can be better than the last.