Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, the 5th Dubai International Project Management Forum (DIPMF) kicked off today Monday 10th of December 2018. The event is held by the RTA and co-organized by DEWA, Emaar, DP World and the PMI under the theme Building Nations. Several key executives of government and private entities have attended along with an elite group of international experts of Project Management (PM).

 
“Countries today are seeking sustained stability & growth; which can only be achieved through proper planning and implementation; which are the key pillars of PM structures, said Al Tayer in his opening speech to the Forum.

“The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had set a role model in building nations on solid and consistent pillars. The UAE was formed from separate emirates on the coast of Arabian Gulf, and this unity was formed through Sheikh Zayed wisdom and foresight, he had managed to establish the UAE federation. He met with the Federation founders and discussed the union under the flag of a single nation. This sound vision was supported by thoughtful planning that paved the way for declaring the UAE federation on the second of December 1971,” said Al Tayer.

“To ensure the sustainability of this achievement, a series of pioneering development projects were launched in various fields. In line with the declaration of the UAE President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan designating 2018 as the Year of Zayed, RTA has set Building Nations as a theme of the 5th DIPMF. One of the sessions will examine the approach of Zayed in building nations under the headline: Zayed, Builder of the Nation. Sustainability of building nations requires continued efforts together with supporting development projects. Obviously, the success of any project requires a solid foundation and proper planning,” said Al Tayer.

“The UAE leadership was therefore keen on developing important strategies to keep pace with the global advancement and trends. Such strategies have to be capable of tackling global challenges such as the climate change, green technologies, renewable energy, political, security and economic changes, and the 4th industrial revolution issues such as AI, robots, big data and autonomous vehicles,” he explained.

 
“The UAE had launched several initiatives under the National Agenda 2021 and Zayed Centennial 2071 such as the UAE Strategies for Forecasting the Future, Artificial Intelligence 2031, and Energy 2050.

 
“At the local level, the Dubai Government was keen to align its plans with the federal Government drive. It has launched Smart Dubai 2021 Strategy, Autonomous Mobility 2030 Strategy and Clean Energy 2050 Strategy. It is therefore fitting that the Forum will discuss AI, Big Data, and Block Chain topics.

It will also discuss energy transformation and hold youth-oriented sessions as part of the UAE drive to empower youth to play an active role in building their nation.

 
“The UAE has managed to cement its image in the global map through iconic projects that merited it to host mega international events highlighted by Expo 2020; for the first time in the MENA and subcontinent regions. The UAE has committed teams and huge resources for constructing projects related to the hosting of this huge international event. The budget set for roads and transportation projects is in the order of 15 billion dirhams,” he added.

 
“The RTA prides itself on the solid partnership with the PMI whereby the two parties compile a joint annual report relating to a specific practice and implementing it in the Middle East. The report is built on the latest field surveys conducted by the PMI worldwide. By the end of this Forum, the two parties will release a study entitled: Disruptive Technologies in the Middle East, covering the modern technologies affecting institutional PM.

“In line with our leaders’ commitment to honouring innovative PM practices, winners of the 2nd Hamdan bin Mohammed Award for Innovation in PM will be honoured during the Forum. The Award was launched during the 3rd edition of the Forum in 2016 to nurture a culture of innovation in PM. It targets teams, individuals and organisations which had developed innovative practices in managing projects, programmes, project portfolios or PMOs. The 2nd edition of the Award attracted 268 nominations from 40 countries,” concluded Al Tayer.

Change Management

Lisa Bodell, Member of WEF, Founder & CEO of futurethink, spoke in her speech about simplicity in change management in companies. She focused on the importance of nurturing a simplicity as a corporate culture to ensure efficient delivery of assignments.

 
“The formula that any entity can benefit from improved competitiveness has three elements: simplicity, flexibility and focus. Complications will hamper the growth of the entity as well as the success & innovation drive,” she said.

Bodell considered simplicity as the perfect solution for success formula and focus on innovative transformation. With these concepts, Lisa inspired attending teams and leaders to identify the ingredients of the innovative entity. Innovation to Lisa is not the addition of decorations and flashy colours. It rather rests on people working together on a daily basis. If the corporate culture were immersed in meetings, e-messages and reports, the corporate profile would be defined through this culture. Bodell asked a key question: Shouldn’t it be better to engage employees in doing feasible work rather spending time in meetings, making reports and sending e-messages.

She reflected on different procedures for raising the image of an entity known for delivering simplified services. Clients pay more to live a simpler experience to obtain the product. In the speed and technology era, people started to recommend each other companies that deliver services in a simple style. Accordingly, employees of the entity also act as ambassadors of their employers.

 
She spoke about the definition of simplicity and learning technologies that make simplicity a habit practised by employees; which would reflect on the business environment. It is important for the organisation to define the tasks that need longer time to accomplish to set out simpler methodologies.

Sessions

Afterwards, sessions of Day 1 of the Forum started to discuss a series of topics relating to the concepts of modern management and project applications.

Topics discussed included the history & future of PM, maturity models of PM, role of AI & Innovation in PM, future of PM competencies, knowledge management, cultural diversity management, impact of digital transformation on PM, management and governance of corporate projects, smart mobility projects, mega projects, sustainability in PM, shared economy, and tools of PM. The event will also showcase the winning models of the inaugural edition of the HBMA for Innovation in PM. On the sidelines of the Forum, specialist courses will be held focusing on leadership, quality, competition, crises management, agile PM and benefits management.

 
Discussions will also cover the winning models of the inaugural edition of the HBMA for Innovation in PM. On the sidelines of the Forum, specialist courses will be held focusing on leadership, quality, competition, crises management, agile PM and benefits management.

 
Hamdan Award

The Forum last day will witness the awarding of Hamdan bin Mohammed Award for Innovation in Project Management winners. The prize money of the Award has jumped by 29% to hit 2.6 m dirhams (US$710,000). Categories of the Award have also increased to four, following the addition of the Academic Category comprising two sub-awards: Scientific Research for Innovation in PM, and Innovation in PM. The second category (institutions) comprises three sub-awards: The Innovative PM Idea, The Innovative Programs Management Idea, and The Innovative Projects Portfolio Idea. The third category is individuals; which comprises two sub-awards: Innovative Project Manager, and Innovative PMO. The fourth category is the Innovative Team Award.