Challenges of Succession Planning in Achieving Long Life Pavements

Long life pavements and other road infrastructure, by definition, must provide a high level of
service over a number of decades. During that time, there will be changes in three critical
elements: people, technology and information. In other words, there will be an unavoidable
succession, planned or unplanned, of these critical elements. The challenge is to ensure that the
road infrastructure, from its inception, achieves its intended function and service over a long
span of time through proper succession planning.

This paper builds on an earlier presentation to the Spring, 2002 TAC Workshop on Education
and Training by first presenting the management context for succession planning and then
illustrating that it involves not only people and technology but also information or data. In
formulating and addressing the challenge of succession planning for these three critical elements.
The following items are discussed:

• Defining the process of succession planning and the attendant time horizons
• Reasons for succession planning and guidelines for achieving it
• Obstacles and opportunities
• Case example with cost and benefit impacts
• Future prospects

In summary, this paper has as its basic premise that good design, construction and maintenance
of long life pavements can be most effectively realized through proper succession planning for
the variation of people, technology and information occurring over the time span involved.