The RM3P team engaged with regional stakeholders at virtual Focus 
Group Workshops and a virtual Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) Summit, held in October 2020. The purpose of these events was to update stakeholders on RM3P activities and progress and to solicit insights from stakeholders about RM3P. With 110 public-agency participants at the Summit and approximately 20 participants at each of the four Focus Group meetings, there was ample opportunity for productive and lively discussion. Participants came away from the sessions with a more complete understanding of the unique opportunity RM3P presents to advance innovation in Virginia’s transportation system. The RM3P team is using stakeholders’ insights to refine plans for RM3P deployment and implementation.
The panel discussion at the Dynamic Incentivization Focus Group in October 2020, including moderator Mackenzie (Jarvis) Love (NVTA), Chris Arabia (DRPT), and Ronit Dancis (Tysons Partnership).
The Summit familiarized regional transportation leaders and practitioners with RM3P, gathered valuable information about participants’ priorities, and helped participants understand the challenges that will need to be addressed as we advance innovative solutions across the region. By the conclusion of the Summit, 92 percent of participants said they now considered themselves either “somewhat familiar” or “very familiar” with RM3P.
Prior to the Summit, Focus Group Workshops were held on four RM3P program elements. Discussion on the fifth program element – the Data-Exchange Platform (DEP) – was included in all of the sessions. Whereas the Summit concentrated on the high-level interrelationships among the program elements and the big-picture impacts of implementation, the workshops delved into the hands-on plans and operational details of the individual program elements. Workshop discussions examined three recurring topics: barriers and challenges to implementing the program element, possible solutions to those challenges, and the level of support and resources necessary to implement the program element. For instance, participants in the CPIS Focus Group talked about the importance of return on investment and not overspending on technology that provides more detail than needed by the customer. Workshop participants also discussed the types and formats of data collected by their agencies that are relevant to specific program elements.
Because of the virtual setting of the Summit and workshops, a range of techniques were used to facilitate the conversations. These included animated featurettes illustrating hypothetical RM3P user stories; stakeholder polls to solicit opinions and perspectives (shown at right); and the use of online digital whiteboards. The presentations from these events can be found in the Resource Library, and the animated featurettes can be found under the “Program Elements” dropdown on the RM3P homepage.
The RM3P management team is grateful for the consistently positive feedback on the Summit and workshops!
For questions, contact us at RM3P@vdot.virginia.gov.