In February 2010, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) met to update the Federal Most Wanted List (MWL) of Transportation Safety Improvements. At the conclusion of the Board meeting, Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman asked the staff to take a hard look at the 20–year-old flagship program to see if there were ways to make it more effective and to make the process of updating it more efficient. In short, Hersman said, “build on the Board’s experience with the MWL as an advocacy tool and bring the program into the 21st century.”
“I knew immediately we needed a multi-office team to take a critical look at this program,” said Nancy Lewis, Director of the Office of Communications. “Once the team was identified, my instructions were simple: evaluate the program and determine whether it is effective enough to continue. If it is, redesign it from the ground up so that the result is more modern, more effective, and more efficient.”
The MWL Remodel Team formed in July 2010. Julie Perrot from the Safety Recommendations Division, Office of the Managing Director, and Terry Weaver, from the Safety Advocacy Division, Office of Communications, were selected as Co-Chairs charged with leading the team which included Bob Dodd, Office of Research and Engineering; Jeff Marcus, Safety Recommendations Division; and Bridget Serchak and Terry Williams, Office of Public Affairs.
“We knew it would be a challenge to overhaul this Board product that has been a hallmark of the agency over the past 20 years,” said Perrot. ”Change is never easy, but the Remodel Team was up to the challenge.”
Weaver added, “We also understood that we had to speak with and seriously consider any changes presented by the MWL stakeholders.”
To start the process, the Remodel Team interviewed Board Members on their views and experiences with the program. In addition, NTSB office directors (or their deputies) shared their perceptions of the current program and their vision of a perfect MWL program. The team also randomly selected a number of NTSB investigators to interview.
In addition, the team conducted external interviews with representatives from the Federal Department of Transportation modal agencies, Congressional staff, members of the media, state and public advocates, and industry trade groups, as well as with family members and survivors involved in accidents investigated by the Safety Board. With assistance from Pat Sullivan in the Safety Recommendations Division, the team also spoke with representatives of organizations including AAA, National Water Safety Congress, Safe Kids Worldwide, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Lewis said common themes emerged from the interviews, including:
· The MWL program is widely recognized as a major product of and an advocacy tool for the NTSB.
· Agencies affected by NTSB recommendations contained on the MWL generally saw that as a “mark” against them.
· The list had become too complicated and unfocused to be effective.
· All-day Board meetings are not an effective means to get the message out about the MWL, and the existing MWL webpage is outdated, confusing, difficult to use, and ineffective.
The team repeatedly heard suggestions that the NTSB should take advantage of web-based communication tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube video messages, as avenues to gain wider attention for the MWL topics and program.
After gathering information, the team began developing a proposal for a complete remodel of the process. They created an Operations Bulletin that would support a new proposed Board Order. “From the first barebones draft, the team worked through each step in the process to develop a thorough proposal to re-shape the current MWL process,” said Perrot. “The result of our efforts—a revised Board Order and a new Operations Bulletin.”
Next, the team sent the proposal for an internal review and after tweaks by Office Directors, General Counsel, and Managing Director, the notation package was sent to the Board for review. The proposed Board Order was calendared by Vice Chairman Christopher Hart.
On March 15, 2011, thirteen months after Chairman Hersman issued the charge to review the MWL Program, in a “sunshine meeting” Board Members discussed the newly proposed process. Approximately 30 minutes after the start of the meeting and following some discussion and clarification from the remodel team, all five Board Members voted unanimously to implement the revisions as proposed by the team. The Most Wanted List Program Board Order was approved and the gavel sounded, ending the meeting.
“The new Board Order will ensure that the MWL Program continues to draw attention to significant transportation safety issues. I’m proud of the work that the team did and am excited to see the final product,” Hersman said.
The new Board Order stipulates that future lists will be limited to a maximum of 10 issue areas, each supported by recommendations, and that the formerly separate state and Federal MWL be combined into a single comprehensive list. Each year, Board Members will select the issues for the MWL and the updated product will be unveiled at a press conference.
“Over the course of the project, I was impressed by the team’s dedication and passion in working through the details of the MWL process. They left no stone unturned and even worked through hypothetical situations to test the proposed new steps,” Perrot said.
Another positive, as Weaver explained, “The new program is built on the old program’s strengths, eliminates the former shortcomings, and identifies activities to strengthen public dissemination of the message.”
In conclusion, Lewis said, “I am excited that to have a MWL Program that is more manageable. By limiting the number of issues we focus attention on, using solid criteria in the selection process, and updating our advocacy plan with the use of social media, I fully expect that the end product will more effective. Watch for the MWL press conference this summer!”