Today, Eno released “The People Behind Major Transit Projects,” a report that will help agencies more effectively recruit, train, and retain the professionals who manage large transit projects. Its publication comes at a critical time, as many transit agencies across the country struggle to recruit and retain managers capable of successfully delivering major projects.

Funded by the Federal Transit Administration, the report explores the challenges project managers face and identifies the skills, experience, and support they need to succeed. To inform its recommendations and illustrate lessons relevant to agencies nationwide, the report features case studies of transit projects varying in size, scope, and location.

The report describes a wide range of project management resources including conferences, federal offices, and documents, as well as programs offered by the American Public Transportation Association, Eno, and the National Transit Institute. These resources can help transit agencies adopt a more strategic approach to hiring, training, and retaining project managers. They can also help future project managers chart their career paths.

Numerous transportation industry leaders have praised the report.

• Robert L. Lund, the former Deputy General Manager at SEPTA said, the report “provides an insightful look into the challenges faced by the nation’s transit agencies in successfully staffing projects as required to effectively implement infrastructure projects and to be good stewards of taxpayer funds. It is a must read not only for transit property leaders but for anyone who undertakes publicly funded projects.”
• Jeff Paniati, the former Executive Director and CEO of Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) said, the report is “a must read for transit agency leaders, funders and stakeholders and provides much needed resources for current and prospective major project managers.” He added, it “provides transit agencies with a blueprint for hiring, developing and keeping talented project managers.”
• Bruce Podwal, author of the book, “The Engineering Is Easy: Memoir of a Project Manager” said, the report “addresses a significant gap in creating the team needed to execute projects. It provides upper management with the tools to develop, train and select project managers with the expertise necessary to result in a successful project.”
• Karen Rae, senior strategic advisor at STV said, “This report offers valuable insights into what drives successful project delivery. Notably, it underscores the critical need for the public sector to recruit, retain, and appropriately compensate top-tier talent—an imperative that is too often overlooked. It also reinforces the value of strong leadership and well-structured public-private partnerships in achieving lasting results.”
• Cheri L. Soileau, director of planning and program development at Capital Area Transit System, said, “This report serves as a handbook for transit professionals—whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned expert, and whether you’re hiring project managers or serving as one yourself. The insights and resources it offers are invaluable, and the wide range of professionals interviewed reinforces the message that every project matters, regardless of its scope or size.”
• Bill Goodrich, former senior vice president at MTA Capital Construction said, “A valuable source for information on how to select, develop, and retain critical personnel for lead project manager positions on large transit projects. Whether you work for the public agency, consultant, or contractor, the project manager position is the most critical and challenging position to recruit and retain during the life of a project.”

Skills required for success

Talented and experienced managers are essential for keeping projects on schedule, minimizing expenses, and satisfying stakeholders. The report underscores the challenges transit agencies face in finding qualified managers – due largely to the broad and demanding skill set the role requires.

In addition to technical expertise, project managers of large transit projects must possess strong communications, leadership, strategic thinking, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills. The ability to make decisions under pressure is also essential. As one transit official explained, when a concrete mixer is on its way to the construction site, and the project team is still not sure the type of wall to build or its exact placement, you can’t just say “form a study committee.”

Given the complexity of major transit projects, one member of the study’s advisory committee somewhat facetiously identified the following attributes of a great project manager: the intelligence of Albert Einstein, integrity of an apolitical Supreme Court judge, patience of a saint, negotiating skills of a horse trader, savvy of James Bond, planning skills of a general, communication skills of Walter Cronkite, drive of Bill Gates, tough skin of an armadillo, and ego of Mother Teresa.

Agency support and recruitment strategies

To help project managers succeed, transit agencies need to allocate sufficient resources, establish appropriate procedures, and provide ongoing support to project teams. The report provides concrete recommendations for transit agencies, starting with the need to conduct a comprehensive review of personnel, processes, and systems before undertaking projects.

To help agencies recruit and select members of project management teams, the report shares strategies that transit agencies can use to develop job descriptions, disseminate information about open positions, and conduct interviews. While transit agencies after often unable to compete with the private sector on salaries, the report identifies how they should highlight the distinct advantages of working in the public sector.

While experienced consultants offer valuable expertise to project management teams, this report points out certain drawbacks of relying too heavily on consulting firms. For example, transit agencies report that their employees tend to have a stronger sense of ownership over a project, and better relationships within their agencies and outside stakeholders. Moreover, an overreliance on consultants can result in a loss of institutional knowledge.

Retaining and developing talent

Retention is a major challenge for transit agencies, since many project management staff leave for better-paying opportunities in the private sector. The pay disparities are greater for project managers than for junior staff, which makes it especially difficult to retain top talent.

Agencies can do a better job retaining employees by creating clear career advancement pathways and providing them with opportunities for long-term professional growth. One senior transit official said, “One of our greatest resources is within our organization. We spend time helping existing staff to grow.” He noted the benefit of having a deputy project manager and emphasized the importance of selecting deputies who have the potential to manage a project. This requires pairing them with the right person and preparing them to step in at any time.

Without sufficient training, project managers may struggle to navigate the complexities of transit projects, leading to inefficiencies, cost overruns, delays, and unnecessary tension with stakeholders. This report finds that strong professional development and mentorship programs play a vital role in building a more capable workforce.

Training should be formalized and institutionalized in an agency. Since well-qualified project managers are key to consulting firms’ bottom lines, well-established consulting firms usually have more robust training and professional development programs than transit agencies. Some agencies do have extensive training programs, though. For example, Sound Transit established ST (Sound Transit) University to provide training for its entire workforce.

An important element of training is learning from previous projects. Unfortunately, many transit agencies fail to document the lessons they have learned after completing a project. Agencies are often reluctant to memorialize their mistakes because it might embarrass staff, management, and the organization. They also worry that documenting mistakes could jeopardize their ability to secure future funds.

Building on Eno’s project delivery research

This new report builds on insights from Eno’s previous research to improve the delivery of transit projects. (See Eno’s project delivery resources hub.)

In 2021, Eno released Saving Time and Making Cents: A Blueprint for Building Transit Better, a report profiling nine regions across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. While each region is distinct, clear commonalities emerged in project delivery, revealing key cost and timeline drivers that influence project outcomes. Eno subsequently hosted a four-day symposium to share findings from the report and exchange best practices among transportation professionals, policymakers, and researchers.

In 2022, Eno published On the Right Track: Rail Transit Project Delivery Around the World, a report that examined project delivery in ten peer nations across the globe. This research highlighted case studies of how countries govern, plan, regulate, fund, and construct projects in Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, and South Korea.

Eno is also releasing another new report today, Analysis of Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Cost Database, which assesses the FTA’s Capital Cost Database and provided recommendations for improving its usefulness. The database contains the cost components of federally funded transit projects over the last 40 years.