Lessons Learned

• What is an ITS Lessons Learned Database entry?

  A lesson learned is the knowledge gained through experience or study. It is a reflection on what was done right, what could have been done differently, and how deployers can be more effective in the future. For example, a stakeholder’s experience of what worked and what did not work in the procurement of traffic management systems software is a valid candidate for the Lessons Learned database.

  Each lesson captured in the ITS Lessons Learned Database is described in a concise format. Each lesson learned entry includes a lesson title in the form of a recommendation, context description, a summary of major outcomes, and identifying information such as date, location, and source.

• What are the sources for ITS Lesson Learned Database entries?

  Lessons are collected primarily from publicly available ITS case studies, best practice compendiums, planning and design reviews, and evaluation studies. These are primarily sourced from the US Department of Transportation’s National Transportation Library (i.e. ROSAP), Transportation Research Board’s Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS), transportation research journals, and conference proceedings. Interviews of subject matter experts and news articles are also occasionally used as sources of new lessons.

• Why did the ITS Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) develop the Lessons Learned Database?

  The ITS JPO's major objectives for the Lesson Learned Database are:

  • Capture experiences of stakeholders in their planning, deployment, operations, maintenance, and evaluation of ITS
  • Provide all ITS stakeholders with convenient access to these lessons learned knowledge so that they can make informed decisions.

  As ITS continues to grow and new ITS technologies are deployed, stakeholders constantly learn new lessons about what works and what does not. The Lesson Learned Database helps disseminate this information to other stakeholders, which can make ITS deployment more effective and efficient.

• How often is the ITS Lessons Learned Database updated?

  The ITS Lessons Learned Database is updated continuously as new source material becomes available. When new written reports become available, analysts review these documents to determine if there are any lessons learned suitable for dissemination to wider audience. If so, team members summarize this information in a Lessons Learned entry and will post it on this website.

• How many entries does the ITS Lessons Learned Database include?

  The database contains over 900 unique lessons learned entries.

• How can I find out if new lessons have been added to the ITS Lessons Learned Database?

  Users can see the most recent Lessons Learned database entries by using the “Latest Updates” link under the Lessons Leaned menu.