CMT Communities of Practice bring together team members across the firm who have similar talents, skills, and interests. Together, Community of Practice members are building thriving cross-functional networks, sharing knowledge and expertise, and creating paths for individual and firm-wide growth and innovation. In this ongoing series, CMT is highlighting each of its Communities of Practice and showcasing the value these networks provide to their members, to CMT’s clients, and to the firm.
Year Established
Number of Members
Purpose:
- Create a forum that harnesses organic interest across the firm in principles of Quality of Life and Quality of Place
- Foster connections between CMT team members who are passionate about creating positive social, economic, and/or environmental change through infrastructure
- Provide added value to clients through the intentional integration of cross-functional insights and expertise
- Champion the advancement and adoption of best practices and emergent philosophies
- Provide connections – for CMT personnel, subconsultants, and project teams
Activities:
- Entire Community of Practice gathers on monthly group calls to brainstorm client solutions, share resources, celebrate key wins, and strategize on project pursuits
- Community of Practice members meet with colleagues across the firm on an as-needed basis to share insights and feedback on client projects as well as pursuits
- Community of Practice representatives occasionally present to firm- and office-wide audiences on lessons learned and best practices
CMT Quality of Life Community of Practice Member Voices:
As part of my role on the air service development team, I also do economic impact studies and various pieces of economic analysis. The (Quality of Life) community of practice was looking to bring on this skill set, so the group’s leader, Cassie Reiter, invited me to join. I’ve been part of the group ever since and try to contribute work that helps us better understand a community’s population, socioeconomics, and regional context. My work also helps the communities we serve understand the return on investment (ROI) of infrastructure projects and provides them with economic information that can be used to help them get these projects funded.
Though we’re in all different parts of the United States, we’re all able to come together on Teams or via e-mail and say, ‘Hey, I have this challenge here – how have you all addressed it?’ Being able to get that input from someone with an environmental perspective or an engineering perspective is invaluable – it provides a great sense of camaraderie and instills a lot of pride to work alongside so many dedicated individuals who are all eager to find the best answers for our clients and their communities.
One of the great things about the field of civil engineering is getting the chance work on projects that narrow the gap in the quality of infrastructure. I’ve just joined the Quality of Life group but am excited to listen, learn, share my perspective, and see how we can work together on providing equitable infrastructure solutions.