Project Management Institute: The UAE is consolidating its global leadership in project management and innovation

DUBAI, 15 JANUARY / WAM / Hani Al Shazly, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Project Management Institute, confirmed that the UAE has established itself as a leading global model for innovation in the field of project management, driven by ambitious and transformative national visions, including smart city initiatives and sustainability programmes, noting that major projects in the country are distinguished by their advanced integration of modern technologies, most notably artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and advanced infrastructure systems.

Al Shazly explained, in a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), on the sidelines of the 11th session of the Dubai International Project Management Forum, organized by the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, during the period from January 14 to 16, that employing artificial intelligence tools and data-based solutions has contributed to raising the efficiency of managing complex projects and achieving qualitative results, which has established new standards in accuracy and efficiency.

He pointed out that this trend was reflected in the UAE’s ranking as eighth globally among the leading countries in project management, with about 24,000 active professional accreditations recognized by the Project Management Institute.

Al Shazly stressed the Project Management Institute’s keenness to actively participate in the forum, based on its commitment to promoting excellence in project management in the UAE and the Middle East region, pointing out that the forum represents an important platform for exchanging knowledge, stimulating innovation, and reviewing success factors in major projects, in addition to highlighting the role of PMI certificates in enabling specialists to manage highly complex projects efficiently and confidently.

He addressed the future of project management, pointing to a recent study conducted by the Institute that showed a gap between planning and implementation, with 13% of projects completely failing, while only 37% of them achieve part of the expected results. He explained that high-performance organizations rely on four main elements for success, including managing perceptions and building trust with stakeholders, taking responsibility for success by focusing on the value achieved, along with continuous evaluation and anticipating changes, and linking projects to broader institutional and societal goals.

He showed that applying these elements, known as MORE elements, increases the success rate of projects, after excluding cases of complete failure, from 27% to 94%, while only 7% of professionals so far apply them regularly.

He pointed out that professionals in the UAE who have obtained the Professional Project Manager (PMP) certificate five to ten years ago have reported that their average annual income exceeds 100,000 US dollars, which reflects the sustainable value of the certificate and experience in project management, stressing that project management professionals continue to play a pivotal role in transforming national visions into tangible reality.

He explained that the Project Management Institute is leading this development through qualitative initiatives, including PMIxAI, PMI Infinity, and the CPMAI® program, in addition to adopting artificial intelligence as a basic skill within the institute’s talent triangle, enhancing governance and ethics, integrating concepts of sustainability, and focusing on strategic competence, human skills, and human-centered collaborative leadership.

For his part, Vikas Sardana, Acting General Manager of Keolis MHI, said that the company’s participation in the forum as a sponsor falls within its ongoing strategic partnership with the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, and its support for the emirate’s efforts to develop an integrated urban transportation system based on operational efficiency, sustainability and innovation.

He explained that this institutional cooperation is based on the exchange of experiences, integration of roles, and commitment to applying the best international practices in project management and urban transport, noting that joint work with the Authority contributes to developing an operating system that adopts the highest standards of safety, efficiency and sustainability, which enhances the quality of life and consolidates Dubai’s position as a pioneering city in smart and sustainable transportation solutions.

Vikas Sardana said, in a statement to WAM, that the Dubai International Project Management Forum represents a leading platform for exchanging experiences and global best practices in managing major projects, stressing that cooperation with the Roads and Transport Authority embodies a successful model of integrating roles between regulators and operators, which reflects positively on the mobility experience and quality of life for Dubai’s residents and visitors.

He added that the forum contributed, over more than a decade, to developing project implementation methodologies in the emirate, and moving from focusing on project completion to innovation, which was reflected in the efficiency of operating vital systems.

He stressed the company’s commitment to supporting the UAE’s initiative to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, by rationalizing energy consumption and applying global environmental management standards, in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy.

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