ROAD MANAGEMENT-SYSTEMS - GUIDELINES FOR THEIR SPECIFICATION AND SELECTION

This paper identifies the role of road management systems in supportin g the management of roads in countries with developing or emerging eco nomies. It draws on past practical experience of implementing such sys tems, which have often failed to produce sustainable solutions. The re asons for past problems with implementation are discussed under the he adings of the socio-political context in which an organization is requ ired to operate, the institutional arrangements put in place to effect its management, and the technical capability of the organization. The different types of management systems are described in terms of infor mation systems' and 'decision-support' systems, A classification of sy stems is also proposed that groups systems according to their function in terms of planning, programming, preparation and operation. A struc tured approach to specifying and selecting systems is recommended whic h recognizes the need for commitment to make things work, and the need to set management systems within the policy framework adopted by an o rganization for managing its functions. Considerable emphasis is given to identifying the potential users of systems and identifying their n eeds in terms of output reports, On the basis of this, appropriate mod els and data requirements can be identified, Finally, computer require ments can be specified to support these requirements. It is noted that this approach is the opposite to that adopted for the implementation of many road management systems in the past: approaches have tended to specify computer requirements first, and then focused on data require ments before addressing real user needs.