There are three primary products produced by this process: the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).  These three documents are interrelated, with each of the resulting products being a critical component of the other two products.  The MTP provides the plan for the region’s transportation needs, the TIP implements the projects and programs of the MTP, and the UPWP outlines the tasks necessary for the development of the MTP and the TIP.  The development of all three products is conducted in accordance with the MPO’s adopted Public Participation Plan and each is approved by the MPO’s governing body called the Policy Board (PB) . 

Identifying future transportation needs and finding alternative projects and solutions to cater to such needs are defined as the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Process.  The needs are based on base values of population and economic factors such as household income, number of vehicles, employment figures, dwelling unit counts, land use, and traffic volumes on the road network.  These values are used to model traffic flow using modeling software.  Once the model is established, methods to alleviate congestion, if any, are formulated.  Projects are then prioritized according to the need and available funds.  The Metropolitan Transportation Plan is updated every 5 years as long as the Grayson County urbanized area remains as an air quality attainment area, as defined by the Clean Air Act.  For a non-attainment area, the update is once every 4 years.  The Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) provides the public a metropolitan strategy from which transportation improvement projects may be selected.