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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Practices. Topic S06-09. Total Rewards for Airport Sponsor Employees



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342024</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ACRP Synthesis 141 Total Rewards for Airport Sponsor Employees presents the state of practice regarding airport total rewards programs that help recruit and retain individuals who are essential to keeping an airport running, with a focus on frontline and supervisory staff. The synthesis includes information on challenges and opportunities that airports have found when developing or revising total rewards, and information on ways airports recruit and retain frontline and supervisory employees using total rewards. Total rewards include health benefits, well-being programs, learning and development, and recognition programs, as well as compensation.

Under ACRP Synthesis Project 11-03/Topic S06-09 “Total Rewards for Airport Sponsor Employees,” Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University was asked to synthesize information to describe total rewards that airport sponsors use to attract and retain frontline and supervisor employees. Information used in this study was obtained through a literature review, a survey of airports, and interviews to develop case examples. Chapter 4 provides six case examples that highlight total rewards programs from airports with different governance structure, including airports governed by port authority, airport authority, city, and county.  

This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand. The audience for this synthesis includes the human resource (HR) departments and executive-level leadership for airports.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Feb 2024 19:59:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342024</guid>
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      <title>Enhancing Airport Workforce Efficiency through Automation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2226022</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Personnel shortage is one of the primary concerns expressed by airport leadership. Shortages may be due to retirements or retention and recruitment challenges; notably, there appears to be a shrinking pool of skilled and knowledgeable airport employees to meet demands and stabilize the airport workforce. Automation&mdash;using technology, programs, or processes to automatically control the operation of an apparatus, process, or system&mdash;can help airport employees perform their job duties and achieve more efficient outcomes, especially during staffing shortages. The objectives of this research are (1) to create a method for U.S. airport policymakers to assess and rate current and emerging software- and hardware-based automation technologies, programs, or processes in their organization and facilities (terminal, airside, and landside); (2) to develop a roadmap for optimizing existing automation and/or adopting new automation; and (3) to develop an executive summary of the findings. The roadmap should include a decision support tool to help U.S. airports select current and emerging automation. The automation should be focused on optimizing business processes to help improve the efficiency of airport employees and enhance the end user experience. Although opportunities for adopting automation could be found throughout the airport ecosystem, this project should focus on applications in the broad categories of airport business processes, human resource management, and facility and equipment management and operation in the terminal, airside, and landside environments (see Special Note A). The roadmap should contain, at a minimum, two practical case studies of representative technologies, programs, or processes in each category, including a business case; technology identification and selection; procurement; implementation; training; and key metrics and measurable improvements, if any.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Aug 2023 10:14:02 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2226022</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Review and Update of ACRP Administration and Human Resources Products</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2204220</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provide independent, objective advice to inform policy with evidence, spark progress and innovation, and confront challenging issues for the benefit of society. The work of the private, nonprofit National Academies is grounded in the expertise of our three academies — National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Academy of Medicine. For more information about the Academies, please visit our website at:  www.nationalacademies.org.

The National Academies consists of seven program units, one of which is the Transportation Research Board (TRB). Established in 1920, TRB annually engages more than 7,000 engineers, scientists, and transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and the academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest by participating in TRB committees, panels, and task forces. One program unit within TRB is the Cooperative Research Programs, which includes the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP). ACRP provides products developed from applied research for the U.S. airport industry. Recognizing the dynamic nature of the industry, a key goal of ACRP is to ensure our products continue to be relevant by updating them as needed.  As ACRP matured and our library of products grew, the need for a systematic method for identifying the products with the greatest need for updating became apparent.

ACRP research is generally categorized into 10 research fields. To meet a key goal of the ACRP Strategic Plan, the ACRP oversight committee approved and funded the development of a systematic method to identify and prioritize research products in need of an update. A methodology (https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/acrp/docs/Product_Update_Review_Methodology.pdf) for reviewing the products in each field was developed in 2020 while reviewing the products in Research Field 2: Environment. 

The objective of this RFP is to identify a qualified firm to review and recommend an initial set of products for updating within Research Field 1: Administration and Research Field 6: Human Resources. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 02 Jul 2023 19:13:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2204220</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Practices. Topic S06-07. Impacts of COVID to Airport Work Models and Strategies</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1897249</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ACRP Synthesis 126: Impacts of COVID-19 on Airport Work Models and Strategies, from TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program, provides information on those airports that experimented in remote work, provides options for airports that did not participate in remote work, and identifies emerging trends.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 15:00:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1897249</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Incorporating Knowledge Management into DOT Business Practices</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1842761</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Knowledge Management is a relatively new practice to most state DOTs. Knowledge management considers the use and connections of people, process, technology and data/information. Like performance management or risk management, it touches many established practices within our state DOTs. However, the relationship to human resource management, information technology, data management, workforce development, learning cultures, and organizational development is poorly understood. Strengthening our understanding of these connections will help state DOTs assess options for KM integration and use the synergy of these program areas to accelerate achievement of organizational goals.
The objective of this project is to develop a document that summarizes the relationships of knowledge management with other common state DOT programs including but not limited to information technology, human resource management, workforce development, learning cultures, and organizational development. Work tasks include: (1) conduct a literature review of the connections of knowledge management to other organizational programs common in state DOTs; (2) conduct targeted interviews with experienced KM public and private practitioners to learn how they have integrated KM; (3) identify examples of effective ways to integrate KM into organizational practices; (4) develop a draft document and visualization of the connections or these activities; (5) identify and interview a select number of individuals to review the document and discuss the findings and usability of the document; (6)      finalize the document and visualization; (7) develop an outreach and engagement plan; and (8) provide one or more presentations for relevant AASHTO committees and state DOTs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 26 Mar 2021 13:36:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1842761</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Administration of Highway and Transportation Agencies. Understanding Knowledge Management in Context with Other Organizational Practices</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1732674</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract provided.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2020 11:53:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1732674</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Modernization of Iowa Transportation Program Management System TR-726
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1580364</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The research aspect of this project will consist of cataloging, evaluating and optimization of operations. It will explore the processes via which Iowa Local Public Agency transportation projects are chosen, programmed, prepared and delivered, with the goal of optimizing the utilization of human resources. The project will also seek to replace exchanges of documents for review/approval with actually storing the document data online and facilitating performance of processing/review steps within the application itself.

Phases I and II will seek to acquire a multi-layered understanding of underlying business processes, user decision and perception patterns, function delivery, and technical needs. In Phase III, as an operations research effort, the project will seek to fulfill the Iowa Code 310.35 objective of “the more efficient use of funds and materials that are available for the construction and maintenance of secondary roads” by providing road agencies with on-line process and communications tools that minimize engineering staff time that must be spent on the programming, budgeting, and development tasks involved. 
The deficiencies of the legacy code and design will be addressed, security will be enhanced to meet modern threat levels, the code will become capable of functioning on a larger slate of devices, and support integrated submittal/review/update processing. By improving process efficiency, the modernized system will, consistent with the intent of the FHWA’s “Make Every Day Count” initiative, help reduce the cost and time required to deliver bid ready projects for public benefit. 

TPMS modernization will be performed in four phases. During Phase I, the Principal Investigator will seek out representatives of the various user groups, (county engineers, cities, planning agencies, DOT – [Local Systems, Program Management, Systems Planning, District Local Systems staff, District Planners], RPA & MPO planning agencies, FHWA personnel, and design consultants), to learn how they are using TPMS tools, what’s going well, what needs improvement, and what new functionality would be desired. There will also be a forensic review of existing TPMS code, to capture business rules implicitly established via code patches made over the last 14 years. Data back-up methods and sites will also be re-evaluated.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 28 Jan 2019 12:42:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1580364</guid>
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      <title>Recruiting, Retaining, and Promoting for Construction Careers at Transportation Agencies
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1467192</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Construction is a labor intensive industry, meaning that employees are the most valuable resource to construction firms and organizations. Yet, challenges exist in today’s workforce in terms of recruiting and retaining quality employees as well as attracting individuals from minority and underrepresented groups. Currently, the aging workforce of the United States along with the acknowledgment that newer generations of potential transportation workers have many different ideals, beliefs, and expectations than previous generations, reveals that recruitment and retention issues should be a primary concern for public transportation organizations such as state departments of transportation (DOTs). Gone are the days that individuals are hired by one firm and that person works their entire career at that firm.  

Smart, ambitious, and highly motivated employees are difficult to find and even more difficult to keep, especially when considering individuals for technician positions such as DOT engineers, engineering technicians, maintenance personnel, and information technology professionals. These difficulties are not just a construction industry problem, but a more widespread issue for industries that require career technical education fields. Qualified personnel has to be compensated well and require work that develops their skills and matches their personal interests. Since engineering and technical employees require challenging and rewarding work, strategic hiring and retention plans must be employed to successfully recruit and retain each of these types of workers. Therefore, to manage the dynamics of meeting today and tomorrow’s construction and maintenance demands with an ever shrinking and changing workforce, state DOTs need robust workforce management strategies and guidance that can effectively attract, train, and retain engineers, technicians, and workers needed to construct and maintain the U.S. highway infrastructure well into the 21st century. The strategies developed can then be used by state DOTs to gain and sustain valuable human resources from current as well as future generations of workers, including minority and underrepresented individuals within transportation agency careers.  ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 21 May 2017 11:32:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1467192</guid>
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