DIPMF spotlights future trends
THE EIGHTH EDITION OF THE FORUM DISCUSSED THE IMPACT DIGITAL DISRUPTION, CLIMATE CHANGE, SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES AND ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS HAVE ON PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Leading experts from across the world and the region shared their insights on future trends and best practices at the 8th Dubai International Project Management Forum (DIPMF) that concluded yesterday.
About 2,000 participants took part in the four-day event organised by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council. Fiftyfive international and regional speakers tackled cutting-edge solutions and their role in fostering wellbeing through keynote sessions and panel discussions at the event co-hosted by the Project Management Institute (PMI), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), DP World, and Learning Partner, the International Institute for Learning (IIL).
“The forum has cemented its standing as a global platform for the best practices and been coming up with creative project management solutions, thanks to the participation of international experts with creative visions that contribute to the successful delivery of megaprojects,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA.
Jennifer Tharp, Chair of the Board of Directors of PMI, shared her thoughts on future project management trends such as digital disruption, climate change, economic and demographic shifts, labour shortages, as well as civic, civil and equality movements.
However, she didn’t believe digital disruption will take over the role of the project manager, as project management was about communication and collaboration while technology is automated making the project manager’s role very strategic and time-effective in terms of making the right decisions for the project.
Climate change is another trend and sustainability as such is at the heart of every project whether it be packaging or use of human resources. A charter should be drawn outlining the project so that it has a sensible or regional approach to project management and includes the sustainable principles. It is important to build sustainability across the all the practices and build change accordingly.
In a panel discussion on Sustainability in Project Management, the participants emphasised the UAE’s commitment to sustainability and environmental preservation through practical, legislative, and leadership initiatives that were realistically translated by the declaration of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE, of 2023 as the Year of Sustainability.
The participants, which included Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, and the business and sustainability author Marga Hoek, highlighted that the UAE has rapidly advanced in recent years towards sustainability in projects, including their continuity and preservation, as well as success in managing them. They also discussed future initiatives aimed at establishing a green economy, complete carbon neutrality, zero carbon, production of clean and renewable energy, and commitment to environmental protection through the use of technology and trending methods to reach its goals quickly.
Al Tayer said that Dubai has a clear strategy and road map to reach 100 per cent energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. “We are guided by the vision of the wise leadership of the UAE in
shaping the future,” he said. “In Dubai, we have clear strategies, including the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, to achieve 100 per cent clean energy sources by 2050. DEWA uses the Independent Water and Power Producer (IWPP) model for the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and the Hassyan desalination complex using Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology. This model has attracted Dh40 billion of investments.”
Al Tayer explained that all DEWA’s projects contribute significantly to sustainability. He noted that the power capacity of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, will reach 5,000 megawatts (MW) using photovoltaic solar panels (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies. It will be commissioned in stages until 2030 with investments totalling Dh50 billion. When completed, it will reduce 6.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
Al Olama said that the UAE leaders placed sustainability among the five priorities of the UAE Government 2023: “There is planning, designing, implementing and operating projects to minimise the harmful environmental impact to the maximum. One of the most important projects in the UAE, which
is the largest solar power plant in the world, will soon be operational in Abu Dhabi. It will increase solar energy capacity to approximately 3.2 gigawatts, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2.4 metric tonnes annually.
“The UAE Hydrogen Strategy aims to produce 14-22 MT annually by 2050, targeting 25 per cent of key hydrogen markets. The UAE’s long-held vision of sustainably powering a growing economy with clean electricity has been reinforced with the successful power production at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Abu Dhabi. It is leading the rapid decarbonisation of the UAE’s power sector, securing the nation’s energy supply against a backdrop of escalating energy prices, and advancing the UAE’s sustainability goals, which will help the country to achieve the Net Zero targets by 2050.”
Another panel discussion titled Project Economy featured two speakers: Mohammed Rashid, Chief Project Officer at Nakheel Properties, and Antonio Neto Rodriguez, author, practitioner and university professor. “To achieve the best results in the project economy, the elements of projects must be automated through the use of modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, robots and remote work to meet the most disruptive challenges facing project managers,” Rodriguez said.
Rashid stressed that companies and institutions must enlist successful strategies to attract talent and adopt modern technologies such as artificial intelligence. “They have to learn from projects during their implementation and not after completion, as it used to be in the past. A key success factor in project management is focus on customers, passion for work, and the ability to adapt and change. These three elements form the foundation of projects success, regardless of their sizes,” he added.