How is the Gray Notebook organized?
The Gray Notebook (GNB) presents articles in a way that makes the topics’ relationship to the five Legislative policy goals (safety, preservation, mobility, environment, and stewardship) – and WSDOT’s own strategic goals – more clear.
The Gray Notebook is organized into five sections devoted to those strategic goals, each marked by a page that recaps WSDOT’s goals for Safety, Preservation, Mobility/Congestion Relief, Environment, and Stewardship. Each section divider carries a mini-directory to the topics covered within the section, and points to other articles within the GNB that contain information relevant to that goal.
The first four sections primarily feature quarterly and annual reports on key agency functions, providing regularly updated system and program performance information that was previously covered in the White Pages. Annual system performance updates are rotated over four quarters based on data availability and relevant data cycles, to provide in-depth analysis of topics such as capital facilities, aviation, freight, and a post-winter report on highway maintenance. Quarterly topics, such as worker safety, incident response, Amtrak Cascades, and Washington State Ferries, are featured in each edition since data is generally available more frequently.
The reporting on the delivery of the projects funded in the 2003 Transportation Funding Package (Nickel), 2005 Transportation Funding Package (TPA), and Pre-Existing Funds (PEF), appear in the Stewardship section These reports make up the ‘Beige Pages’ of GNB’s past, and are still printed on beige paper. They contain summary tables, detailed narrative project summaries, and financial information supporting WSDOT’s “no surprises” reporting focus. The Stewardship section also presents articles covering finance, workforce, and similar issues.
Executive Summary & Performance Dashboard introduce performance
Each GNB includes an executive summary that includes a overview of each of the annual articles contained in the current edition. Immediately following that is the Performance Dashboard, an overview of the key performance indicators for each of the policy goals. The Performance Dashboard will show the current and previous performance mark for each measure, and indicate which way the program is trending, and why.
More easily tracked business plan results
By aligning the Gray Notebook’s articles with WSDOT’s business goals as outlined in the strategic plan, Business Directions, WSDOT hopes to making tracking measurable performance results against specific strategic actions more simple.
Business Directions reflects WSDOT’s program and project delivery responsibilities with the goal of demonstrating the best possible return for taxpayers’ dollars.
Publication frequency and archiving
The Gray Notebook is published quarterly in February, May, August and November. This edition and all past editions are available by clicking here.
The performance measures are archived individually in the Gray Notebook Subject Index, available by clicking here.
Gray Notebook Lite
WSDOT publishes a quarterly excerpt of selected performance topics and project delivery summaries from the Gray Notebook, called Gray Notebook Lite. Lite allows for a quick review and provides a short synopsis of selected topics. It is published as a four-page folio with a two-page Beige Page summary insert and can be accessed by clicking the cover shot above.
top