Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, the sixth edition of the Dubai International Projects Management Forum (DIPMF) has kicked off today (Monday) 9th of December 2019. The event, which is held this year under the theme ‘Cultural Diversity,’ is organised by Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and co-hosted by DEWA, DP World, Emaar Properties and PMI. The main session saw the presence of a strong lineup of top government and private executives as well as global experts of the projects management industry. 

“In the opening speech of the Forum, HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said, “In line with the resolution of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, designating 2019 as a Year of Tolerance, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform the UAE into a global model in the culture, policy, laws and practices of tolerance, we were keen on inculcating the impact of cultural diversity on projects management in the sessions of this Forum. 

“We were also keen on highlighting key issues and challenges such as the impact of cultural diversity as well as the fourth industrial revolution on the concepts and structures of projects management. Sessions will also shed light on the concept of agile projects management and challenges of attracting talents in sophisticated fields. 

“The UAE government is keen on keeping up with the global trends and encapsulating them in strategies and plans to overcome challenges in hand. Such strategies include UAE Centennial 2071, UAE Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence, energy and advanced skills. 

“Dubai Government is equally keen on aligning its plans with the policies of the federal government to keep pace with global affairs. The Emirate has recently unleashed several strategies including Smart Dubai Strategy, Dubai Strategy for Self-Driving Transport 2030, Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, and Dubai Future Labs,” commented Al Tayer.

Sustained Successes

“Over the past five editions, DIPMF has made huge successes in terms of attendees, speakers and topics. More than 8000 participants from 40 countries and 250 global speakers took part in about 150 sessions. They shared the crème of their expertise and success stories in various spheres of projects management such as infrastructure, transportation, economy, sports, art, healthcare and innovation. 

“It also witnessed the launch of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Award for Innovation in Project Management (HBMAIPM) aimed at identifying, rewarding, promoting and empowering innovation in projects management. The award is focused on setting up a database for the best practices and business models of projects management besides providing a platform for sharing innovative ideas and training on projects management skills. 

“The past editions of the forum have concluded to recommendations that contributed to solutions for contemporary challenges of projects management. For instance, it stressed that organisations have to implement the principles & skills of projects management and consider them an integral part of their corporate business. Leading organisations understand mistakes and view them as key elements of learning, and advocate the values of transparency and knowledge-sharing. Organisations have to embrace innovation and sophisticated technologies in projects management to be successful and cope with various challenges. Start-ups have to focus on delivering innovative services rather than making quick gains,” added Al Tayer.  

Fast Growth

“The UAE in general and Dubai, in particular, have posted fast growth rates in all fields; which have accelerated since the announcement of Dubai as a host of Expo 2020. Several projects are currently underway to meet the needs of hosting this global showpiece including a network of roads and public transport projects such as Route 2020 for extending the Red Line of Dubai Metro 15 km to the site of Expo. 

“Dubai Government departments and government-owned companies are working on other projects to fulfil Dubai Strategic Plan 2021 highlighted by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, Dubai Silk Road, and Dubai Creek Project. DIPMF is a great meeting point for project management executives and officials to share expertise, ideas, future challenges and how to benefit from the leading experiences in this regard,” concluded Al Tayer. 
Sessions

Sessions of the first day of the Forum started by discussing several projects related to visionary leadership, economic diversity, and future of mobility.

Sessions will also discuss Dubai A Land for Talent and the successful experiences in the HBMAIPM such as the specifications of the millennium project manager, future trends of projects management, design thinking, agile project management, project management of megaprojects, human resources, hybrid projects, remote project management, and asset management. Specialist masterclasses will be held on the sidelines of the forum covering agile projects management, benefits management, artificial intelligence, modern technology projects management, and corporate projects management and governance.