gulf project - pmu.edu.sa

www.pmi-agc.com
EsTablishing ExCEllEnCE
January 2013
magazine published quarterly by the
Project Management Institute - Arabian
to all PMI-AGC members and about 7000
copies of the magazine are distributed
throughout the Gulf region.
organisation set up to promote project
management in the Gulf region by:
fostering professionalism in the
quality and reach of project management;
stimulating project management
organisations and the public communities
we serve.
this widely-read publication and leverage
its widespread distribution at a low cost to
gain exposure, increase the reach for their
products and services and open new doors
of opportunity.
advertising rates
www.pmi-agc.com
PROJECT REPORT King Abdullah Financial District growing greener
18
inTERnaTiOnal FEaTuRE From Green to Black Tying sustainability in to organizational strategy
42MEMbER subMissiOn In All Walks of Life Project Management is everywhere
28
COnTEnTs
Contents PREsidEnT’s MEssagE 2 EdiTOR-in-ChiEF’s MEssagE 3 nEws 5-16
PROJECT REPORT 18-27 King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) A cleaner, greener financial district grows in Riyadh
MEMbER subMissiOn 28-31 In All Walks of Life Project management is everywhere - taking it to the schools
Add Value to your Project 32-33
Adding Value to our 34-35 Communities Taking project management concepts further
The Seven R’s of Value 36-41 Engineering Proposals An attempt to leverage historical value engineering proposals
inTERnaTiOnal FEaTuRE 42-49 From Green to Black Tying sustainability in to organizational strategy
Effectively Handling 50-53 Project Issues, Risks and Actions
Using Social Media - 54-57 a Strategic Tool for Project Lessons Learned
FEaTuRE sTORy A New Approach for 58-59 PMI-AGC’s Talent Management Initiative
Newly Elected PMI-AGC 60-61 Board Takes the Reins
PMi-agC PEOPlE 62-63
2012-2015 Board of Officers
President - PMI-AGC Hashim M. Al-Rifaai [email protected]
President - Oman Region Mohamed Al-Ghanboosi [email protected]
SVP - Membership, Marketing & PR Toufic Halabi [email protected]
SVP - Volunteer Management Abdullah Al Qaed [email protected]
President - Kuwait Region Wael H. Al-Jasem [email protected]
President - Saudi Arabia Region Nabilah M. Al-Tunisi [email protected]
President - Qatar Region Dr. Khalid Kamal Naji [email protected]
SVP - Admin & Governance Abul Nahid Kamal, MBA, PMP [email protected]
SVP - Professional Development & Education Ibrahim L. Khader [email protected]
Gulf Project magazine 1
F irstly, I would like to wish all our Project Management Professionals & Members a happy new year. We leave yet another successful
year behind and look forward to the new challenging and hopefully prosperous one.
With the first issue of the year 2013, we continue to do our best to provide you with extensive resources & articles to enhance your project management skills and to keep you abreast with the local news in the field.
In this issue, The Gulf Project report focuses on the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh as it is the first Middle East financial district to match the major global standards of financial centers, in terms of scale, regulation and technology. The issue also contains numerous submissions from our PMI-AGC members that continue to share their knowledge and expertise.
I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the Gulf Project magazine by submitting their content. I continue to stress the importance of our PMI Members to share
and promote their Project Management expertise to the gulf community. If you’re interested in contributing to the magazine, kindly forward your articles to Magazine@ pmiagc.bh
The publishing management will change starting from the next issue as we try to further enhance the community’s experience by shifting the responsibility to another Region. We would like to thank the publisher for the excellent work that they have done and we don’t hesitate to seek their assistance in similar matters in the future.
Enjoy the Issue.
MEssagE
Emad Naeemi Assistant editor Email: [email protected]
Dear Members and readers:
I congratulate all the volunteers and region leaders who actively participate in bringing a quality professional magazine to our members. Due to active member’s participation
and a transparent process it is my pleasure to announce the new roles and faces of PMI-AGC officers. In line with the “role delineation” study, PMI AGC Board added two new board positions earlier this year. The intent is to champion and add accountability to key strategic areas that was lacking our focus. The two new positions are SVP of Membership, Marketing & Public Relation; and SVP of Volunteer Management. In addition, to supporting growth - especially in Jeddah and Riyadh - we have elected a new President of Saudi Arabia, namely Ms. Nabila Al-Tounsi. Due to the largest membership population in KSA, PMI-AGC is gearing up to support its members at Eastern, Central and Western regions. Key positions are being appointed by the leadership in KSA to translate our strategy to action in KSA. The new blood and dynamic energy at PMI-AGC is sure to elevate our commitment and value to our members.
Although not part of AGC Board, the recent appointment of AGC Liaison to PMI Education Foundation (PMIEF) is a key milestone for our Chapter. PMI-AGC being the largest donor of PMIEF funds, it was vital that we have direct liaison and representation
in order to manage the program and work closely with PMI to bring its benefits to the doorsteps of our members in all regions. In the same spirit, PMI-AGC is investing in Outreach Programs and MOUs to reach out to Universities, non-profit organizations, and municipalities to spread the knowledge and tools of Project Management.
This year we are giving even more autonomy to each region to provide flexibility and to allow customized services to fit the member’s needs at a local level. The chapter is also seeking in- depth collaboration with PMI Region 12 members (KSA, Jordan, Lebanon, etc.) to share best practices. PMI-AGC’s leadership met the with key region 12, and PMI headquarter, leaders in Dubai on Sept. 22, 2012 to facilitate better cooperation and service. The AGC board has formulated a two year plan going forward. In short, the 2 year program will focus on the AGC’s 14th Conference, Sharing of Best Practices among the region (Portal, websites, etc.), Sponsorship growth and Marketing.
Building on precious gains by other President, we believe the new Board and active volunteers will continue to deliver highest returns compared to what is provided by other professional chapters in middle-east.
Best regards, Hashim
President’s Message
nEws
Guessing games and toothpick towers, successes and hilarious failures, PMI-AGC Bahrain’s highly informative presentation - Raising Project Management Awareness, held on 11th July 2012, was, as one of the 120 young participants said, “It was an amusing, entertaining and wonderfully interactive experience.”
For the third year in a row, the Project Management Institute - Arabian Gulf Chapter (Bahrain Office) - delivered this presentation
introducing the importance of Project Management to the youth of Bahrain. The presentation is one of many conducted as part of the organisation’s mandate to increase awareness of project management in general.
The Director of Presentations and Community Relations at PMI-AGC and Manager of PMO in Tamkeen, Ms. Nada Khonji, along with Mr. Khalid Al Marzouqi, PMO Specialist at Tamkeen delivered the highly interactive session. They included several educational games and created an unforgettable experience while delivering the serious basics of Project Management skills.
The 4 hour-session was attended by more than 120 youth and covered a wide range of topics starting from the definition of a project, the difference between projects and operations, concepts of project management, roles and responsibilities of the project managers, and the project’s life cycle and processes. It also introduced the
students to the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Arabian Gulf Chapter (PMI-AGC) highlighting its objectives, benefits of memberships and the accredited Project Management related certifications.
The participants interacted with each other and participated with enthusiasm and energy during the session. They also showed a marked interest in learning more about the world of Project Management.
bahRain
GPM news
Become a member online!
Applying to become a PMI-AGC member is easier than ever with our online application process. Follow these simple steps:
1. Log in to http://www.pmi.org/Membership.aspx
2. Click on Join/Renew
http://marketplace.pmi.org/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00100147500
5. Before clicking on Add to Cart, click on Chapter. Then choose country under your PMI-AGC, listed as
Qatar, saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Yemen. For example, if you choose Qatar, the contact and chapter charges, Us$20 per year, will be listed
6. Click on Join
7. Click to Add to Cart
8. You will now have both in the cart as separate icons: PMI Joining Fees and AGC Joining Fees (Us$129
and Us$20 respectively, Us$149 total 9.
Click on Checkout
10. Please complete the application by creating an account, and follow instructions, then pay by credit
card
Welcome to PMI-AGC dear member, and please do not hesitate to contact PMI-AGC for any queries that you may have.
January 2013 Gulf Project magazine 54
A win-win exchange between PMI-AGC Kuwait & WJO
kuwaiT
PMI AGC Kuwait was invited by Wafra Joint Operation General Manager Mr. Shabeeb Al-Ajmi to present its services to the WJO projects group. The move was part of a programme to improve on WJO organizational project management and enrich the knowledge of its staff as well as their performance.
PMI AGC Kuwait President Mr. Wael Al-Jasem along with PMI AGC Kuwait VP Policy & Governance Dr. Lina Abu Dhier took this opportunity to highlight the services and benefits that PMI provides to its members and how organizations/entities can benefit from them.
Mr. Al-Jasem explained that through the PMI membership, members have access to the latest project management international standards as well as the PMI library and bookstore, which contain a wealth of information on projects tools and techniques, case studies, etc. He explained that what might be of interest to WJO are the PMI Communities of Practice where members can network with project practitioners from all over the world exchanging knowledge, lessons learnt and have the opportunity to discuss common or unique issues.
In addition WJO staff, who are members, can benefit from PMI membership through the following: 1. Encouraging project management certification for
members working on projects: a. Certified Associates in Project Management (CAPM)®
b. Project Management Professionals (PMP)®
c. Program Management Professionals (PgMP)®
d. PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMPSM) e. PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SPSM)
2. Participation in PMI Communities of Practice (research best practices, lessons learnt, and article submissions): a. Consulting b. Organizational Project Management c. Project Human Resource Management d. Project Risk Management e. Project Quality Management
3. Targeting one of the under-mentioned PMI project awards (project managers and teams should comply with the awards criteria to improve on their project delivery): a. Awards to Honor Project Professionals PMI Eric Jenett Project Management Excellence Award PMI Linn Stuckenbruck Person of the Year Award b. Awards to Honor Organizations for Successful Projects PMI Distinguished Project Award PMI Project of the Year Award c. Awards to Honor Project Management Researchers
and Educators Project Management Journal® Paper of the Year Award
4. By raising the profile of WJO Leadership who work on strategic projects, as membership with PMI will demonstrate commitment to project excellence. (PMI AGC annual individual membership is a mere USD $140).
For more details, the following PMI websites may be accessed: www.pmi.org, www.pmi-agc.com or www.pmiagckw.org
The WJO Project team will have the ultimate opportunity
to enrich their project management knowledge and have access to the latest project tools and practices. In addition to the services mentioned, it is well to note that PMI offers seminars and conferences throughout the world, year round.
As a token of our appreciation, PMI AGC Kuwait presented the following PMI Standards to Mr. Saad Al-Marie Manager Projects & Facilities Engineering at WJO: 1. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge 2. The Standard for Program Management 3. Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) 4. The Standard for Portfolio Management
At the end of the presentation, Mr. S. Al-Ajmi along with his projects team thanked the PMI visitors for their time and effort in sharing their services with WJO. In turn, the PMI visiting team thanked WJO management for their interest and hospitality.
nEws
GPM news
saudi aRabia
From the 24-28th June, 2012, the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel was buzzing with delegates who attended an intensive training programme to prepare for the Project Risk Management Professional (RMP) Certification Exam held by PMI-AGC Bahrain.
The objectives of the seminar were to learn how to “minimize the risks of not achieving the objectives of a project, minimizing the risks for stakeholders who have an interest in it (the project), as well as identifying and taking advantage of opportunities that may present themselves during that time-frame.”
During the course of the five days participants learnt, among other critical factors, the importance of project risk management within the project life cycle, how to understand what is considered ‘project risk management best practice’, how to
develop a Risk Management Plan, Undertake Project Risk Analyses - both Qualitative and Quantitative, Develop a Project Risk Plan, and Monitor and Control Project Risk.
This intense and in-depth curriculum helped the delegates to be thoroughly prepared for the PMI-RMP Exam, which they need to take in order to become certified as PMI Project Risk Management Professionals. They were able to master the basic Knowledge of Project Risk Management by learning the overall terms, principles, methodology and concepts through a hands-on application of Project Risk Management methods and learnt how they work in real-life projects.
In addition to the training materials, each participant also received a Certificate of Completion, a valuable textbook on risk management - Tricks of the Trade® by Rita Mulcahy and a Complete Training Manual.
The Instructor for the Seminar was Osama Bakir who has more than 25 years of experience in project management with companies such as Claymore Inc. Consulting, Toronto, Canada, PROJACS Middle East, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, AT&T and Lucent Technologies, VA, USA, and Oman Telecom, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Eng. Mr. Bakir is the President and the CEO of the PMCTQuest; Canadian Project Management Consulting and Training Company, and he offers project management consulting and training services in Canada, USA and almost all the Arabian Gulf Countries in various capacities.
In this day and age when science is such an obvious part of our everyday lives, PMI-AGC Western Chapter, Saudi Arabia threw out the question to the public. And the almost 300 participants who attended, from practically every industry and nationality in the Kingdom, was evidence that this question is still a hot topic. In fact both the subject and the main speaker of the event, Dr. Essam Sharaf - currently the Professor of Highway Engineering, Cairo University and both a former Prime Minister of Egypt (2011) and Minister of transport (2004 – 2005) – proved to be an immense draw.
So, on 29th April, 2012 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Jeddah was bustling with participants and dignitaries such as the Egyptian Consul General in Jeddah, Ambassador Ali Al-Asheri. Once in full swing Dr. Essam Sharaf addressed several topics that related to Science and
its relation to different concepts and activities, including: Science and culture, development and competitiveness, scientific research and technology, research and modern transportation, and NGOs.
The subject drew much interest and
at the end of the event, Ambassador Ali Al-Asheri along with Mr.Hazim Abdul Wahid, VP of PMI-AGC Western Region, presented Dr Sharaf with an honorary shield to thank him for putting together this interesting and thought-provoking presentation.
5-day seminar for exam preparation held by PMI-AGC Bahrain
bahRain
Kuwait, May 1st 2012, The Project Management Institute - Arabian Gulf Chapter (PMI-AGC) Kuwait along with the Community of Project Management (CoPM) and Kuwait Information Technology Society (KITS) conducted a technical presentation on “Maximizing PMI Benefits”.
The informative presentation was conducted by Mr. Wael Al-Jasem, President PMI-AGC Kuwait Region and was held at KITS Rawda, Kuwait. Mr. Al-Jasem, highlighted the many benefits of membership, all designed to support an individual’s career growth and professional success.
In addition to the supportive PMI-AGC community he pointed out certain benefits available exclusively to members. These included resources on PMI.org such as, the digital edition of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). “As members,” he said, “you can download this on your computer as part of your membership benefits.” The book presents a set of standard terminology and guidelines for project management and has been recognised by the American National Standards Institute. On Amazon, the book represents a value of $33. Mr. Al- Jasem also highlighted other valuable resources such as online access to business and other project management books and articles, access to a library of web-inars that showcase project management trends and best practices. In addition, he told attendees that PMI members receive PM Network, a monthly publication that keeps
members informed of the latest trends and news in project management.
More than the academic resources, the presentation emphasised that through the chapter members are able to share knowledge, network with other professionals through communities of practice and receive help in getting certified. Members were urged to take part in PMIAGC Kuwait’s activities and publications all of which presented volunteers with opportunities to
contribute to the community and acquire valuable experience, recognition, as well as satisfaction. He also indicated that certified professionals (e.g. PMP) could earn some Professional Development Units (PDUs) to maintain their credentials. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session through which the attendees learnt more about how to make the most of their membership and participation with the chapter.
The event, which was well- attended by members from PMIAGC, KITS and COPM, was concluded by Mr. Al Jasem thanking Mr. Abdullateef Al- Abdulrazzaq, Chairman of KITS, for their cooperation and collaboration and by presenting Mr Abdulrazzaq with a memento to display PMIAGC Kuwait’s appreciation. He also mentioned that the chapter works closely with other professional bodies for the benefit of its members and project management community as a whole.
Making the most of your PMI membership kuwaiTOMan
Breaking new ground The Project Management Institute – Arabian Gulf Chapter – Oman Region, organized the first event of its kind in Oman and at no less a prestigious institute than Bank Muscat. The topic covered the “importance in managing projects and holding Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificates in particular’’. It was presented on Tuesday, 10 July 2012 by two key volunteer members of the PMI-AGC GROUP, Oman Branch, Mohammed Al-Ghanboosi, President of the Oman Branch and Saleem Rifai, IT expert and volunteer at PMI Oman region.
Mohammed Al-Ghanboosi introduced the two-part presentation by first expressing his appreciation and thanks to the management of Bank Muscat for hosting this event, and then by welcoming the attendees who represented various public and private sector and other organisations with interests in knowing and improving their knowledge of Project Management and its related activities. After the introductory preliminaries, Mr. Mohammed AL-Ghanboosi gave an overview of the Project Management Institute and explained the importance that Project Management, as a discipline, is gaining especially under the current transformation and the various crises that are impacting the global economy. These, he explained, further established the need for effectiveness and competencies in project management, especially those that impact on large sectors in critical areas. Mohammed also pointed out that due to the high demand for experts, today, getting them to come to the region is becoming ever more competitive. And because of this there is no option for project managers already here but to reinforce their skills through obtaining international professional practitioner certificates that are approved and recognized globally.
The second part of the presentation was delivered by Saleem Rifai who gave an overview of the history and the importance of the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate and how today, “It has became one of the most recognised International Certificates in the professional markets.” He also demonstrated how project management is needed across all fields including Information Technology, Construction, Banking and other sectors that require that their projects should be managed and work professionally. After that Saleem presented the steps needed to be taken to obtain the PMP Certificate. He also stressed the importance and means of maintaining the certificate as per requirements, through continual training, actual practice and volunteering.
nEwsGPM news
PMI AGC Oman Tuned for IT Projects OMan
Because IT projects are more specialised and technically inclined, our Project Management Institute Arabian Gulf Chapter for the Oman Region developed and conducted a technical presentation dubbed PM Tuned for IT Projects in collaboration with Northwind Information Systems. The presentation was held in the Caledonian College Of Engineering at Al Khoud, and Mr. Rifai Saleem of Northwind was the facilitator.
The presentation focused on the challenges and their causes when it comes to IT projects. These included: • Lack of change management • Poor communication • Insufficient resources • Poorly defined requirements • Inaccurate estimates • Poor risk management • Poorly defined deliverables • Over optimism • No time for management
While discussing the above challenges usually prevalent in IT projects Mr Saleem discussed solutions and methods of addressing these issues such as the following: • Getting the requirements right • Managing the technology risk • The psychology of signing off the
project
• Success is in simplicity He also gave specific case studies
and demonstrated how these challenges can be overcome to turn the project into a success story in one’s career.
He also stressed, that although all Projects require attention to detail and a greater degree of coordination, this is even more vital to the success of IT projects. Rifai said, “IT projects, or any project for that matter, can succeed if the teams involved are properly coordinated and every task, milestone and activity is documented and communicated.” He also emphasised the need to establish realistic timelines and budgets.
A group of skilled and talented
professionals, belonging to PMI AGC, aim to impart skills and knowledge to its members. PMI AGC also encourages the participation and active contribution of members in these types of presentations. Presentations like PM Tuned for IT Projects prove to be very useful to PMI Oman members, they also help members remain at par with counterparts in the other AGC regions.
PMI continues to accept membership in Oman and has a wide range of activities planned for the year including PMP preparation courses, technical presentations and site visits. Those interested in joining may contact us at [email protected].
Project Management for Life presentation for AIEsEC
bahRain
nEwsGPM news
AIESEC is the world’s largest student-based organization present in over 110 countries globally, it provides its members, who are drawn from universities and educational institutions with a unique leadership experience through global internship opportunities, global and national forums, and by partnering with different organizations.
As part of our goals and as an extension of PMI-AGC’s mandate, the Project Management Institute – Arabian Gulf Chapter (Bahrain office) delivered a presentation in which Project Management was introduced to the young pioneer members of AIESEC Bahrain.
The presentation, “Project
Manage-ment Skills for Life” was conducted jointly by Ms. Nada Khonji, PMP - Director of non-technical presentations & Community Relations at PMI-AGC (Bahrain) who is also the Manager of Project & Performance Office (PMO) in Tamkeen, and Mr. Khalid Al-Marzouqi, PMP - PMO specialist at Tamkeen. It briefly introduced Project Management and its applications to around 30 young participants on Tuesday 3rd of April, 2012 at the AIESEC premises in Hidd.
In addition to the explanation of a project’s life cycle and processes, the presentation covered a wide range of topics including what project management is, who project managers are, and their main roles and
responsibilities. The session was very interactive
and engaged the audience in many exercises throughout. It also introduced the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Arabian Gulf Chapter to the participants while highlighting its objectives, membership benefits and events organized to raise awareness of this profession locally and globally.
Finally, both presenters invited all the young participants to join the project management family. The merits of doing so were outlined and included the ability to contribute, share their knowledge and experience through the different channels offered by PMI-AGC, and enjoy a special student membership rate that costs only $40 to join.
PMI-AGC Iraq hold seminar on July 14th iRaq
The 2nd Board of Directors’ meeting of PMI-Arabian Gulf Chapter took place in advance of the Annual Region 12 meeting on 21 September 2012 at Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City, in Dubai.
The well-attended meeting saw active participation by the Region’s leaders from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Doha, Qatar & Oman. The Chapter President Mr. Hashim Al-Rifaai greeted all the Board of Directors, VPs, Regional Directors and other volunteers who also participated in this and other meetings, mainly the VP Meeting and Region 12 – which were also held at the same venue on the following day.
The Board of Directors’ meeting on 21st September mainly discussed issues, concerns and proposals concerning PMI-AGC’s forthcoming 2-Year Plan. The Board members also reviewed the status of the upcoming PMI-AGC 14th International Conference, Seminars & Exhibition. This is a major event in the PMI-AC
calendar and is scheduled to take place on 28-30 January, 2013 at Gulf Hotel, Juffair, in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The meeting wrapped up with
a group lunch and dinner at which members mingled and exchanged views. The occasion, as always presented a good opportunity for networking and team building.
A good turnout of professionals from in and around Iraq attended a seminar conducted by PMI Arabian Gulf Chapter (PMI-AGC) – Iraq on July 14th at Nineveh International Hotel – Mosul - Iraq. The two main speakers were Mr Hassan Mudhafar and Mr. Mustafa N. Younis Agha, PMI-AGC Representative in Iraq.
Mr. Hassan Mudhafar is a Chemical Engineer and President of Nineveh Investment Commission as well as the Consultant to the Nineveh Governor. He spoke about the many benefits of PMI-AGC’s Professional Development Plan. He explained how PMI can help individuals to be better prepared for the next step in their careers and also gave a brief outline of the courses available through PMI-
AGC. All these, he stressed, would, “help professionals keep abreast of developments in Project Management around the world”.
Mr. Mustafa N. Younis Agha,
PMI-AGC Representative in Iraq, and a Lecturer at the Nineveh Institute of Technology also briefed the audience on Project Management and the benefits of membership in PMI.
PMI-AGC Board Meeting Dubaiseptember lecture all about taking strategies forward
The Project Management Institute – Arabian Gulf Chapter Bahrain organized September’s Wednesday lecture with a presentation entitled: Strategy implementation through Project, Program and Portfolio Management. The presentation was delivered at the Bahrain Society of Engineers’ Auditorium on 19th September. The speaker at the event was Ali Shaikh Ali, Manager, Strategy Implementation and Business Improvement at Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), who has in excess of 10 years of experience in project and program management. More than seventy project management professionals attended the fascinating lecture and enjoyed an extended Question and Answer session that had to be wrapped up due to time limitation.
The presentation covered an introduction to the various types of strategies, their main characteristics, and the situations for which they would be most suited. Once formed, a difficult task in its own right, strategies have to be implemented. And it would be up to the management team to choose the right delivery vehicle to make these strategies work and to implement them
throughout the organization, which is at the best of times, a challenging task. During the seminar, the experience of Bahrain Airport Company in formulating and implementing its strategy through the project, program and portfolio office (P3O) was presented. It was stated that the P3O model was vital to the very survival of the company to ensure projects and programs were delivered efficiently and effectively. BAC recognized project management was a critical strategic tool, and thus practiced project portfolio management to select, manage and support a portfolio of projects that had the best chance of moving the company forward and keeping it up to date with the operating environment.
The presenter then discussed how the strategy of BAC was made by examining the emergent schools of thought on this topic, how the strategy was interpreted into programs and projects, the structure of the PMO at BAC, the role of the PMO in projects and programs governance, and how portfolio management was adopted for aligning projects with the strategy. The presenter then elaborated on the steps
taken, the challenges faced and the benefits reaped from implementing the P3O model at BAC. The presentation was concluded with a discussion on the key success factors and the lessons learnt, with some statistics that gave an indication of the achievements made so far since the concept was introduced two years ago.
The audience’s feedback was enthusiastic with a variety of questions and comments that shed more light on the topics discussed. The evening was concluded at around 9:30p.m. with the attendees partaking of light snacks and having more informal discussions and social interaction.
PMI-AGC Bahrain is the regional office of the Arabian Gulf Chapter of PMI. It represents its members’ interests in project management by organising events, conferences, workshops, training sessions and other related activities to help members keep pace with the developments and advancements in the science and practice of project management. This event allowed the attendees to claim 2 Professional Development Units towards keeping their PMI certification current.
nEwsGPM news
bahRain bOaRd
LOYAC and PMI-AGC sign partnership agreement in Kuwait
kuwaiT
What happens when a non-profit organization dedicated to the overall development of youth and PMI AGC join hands? A partnership destined to benefit both parties.
And that was the positive outlook and mood of the day when LOYAC’S Founder, Chairperson & Managing Director Ms Fareah Al Saqqaf and PMI-AGC Kuwait’s President Wael Hussien Ibrahim Al -Jasem signed an agreement on Monday July 30th ‘12 at LOYAC’S office in Al Qibliya School in Kuwait City.
With this memorandum LOYAC will now be able to provide a platform of opportunities to Kuwaiti youth who are interested in Project Management. LOYAC will be in a position to offer PMI accredited training courses, workshops, specialized seminars, scientific conferences and forums.
The agreement will enable both parties to mutually work on various fields that are of interest to both. PMI-AGC will launch a “Communities of Practice” (CP) for PMI in LOYAC and it will promote the PMI accredited training courses to raise the competency level of project management practitioners in Kuwait.
It will help the youth by supporting their project management initiatives through organizing technical presentations and holding field visits to major local projects. It will also work on initiatives wherein Kuwait’s Project management Professionals will be motivated to participate in PMI accredited events around the world to capture the latest trends in Project Management.
The agreement also integrates with LOYAC’S vision of putting Kuwait on the global map of project management activities, by nationalizing the profession in Kuwait.
LOYAC is a non-profit organization dedicated to the overall development of youth. It was established in 2002, and provides programmes for youth from as young as 6 years old to 28 years. LOYAC has centres in Kuwait, Jordan and Lebanon.
The collaboration with PMI-AGC will support the youth in various ways and will also assist the existing Project Management Practitioners in Kuwait. Best of all, it will encourage the youth to learn the art of Project Management based on PMI guidelines from the experienced mentors of PMI-AGC from a young age.
nEwsGPM news
The Bahrain division of the Project Management Institute – Arabian Gulf Chapter held a presentation meeting titled “Business Process Re- engineering – My Experience!” for its members and others interested in the topic. Ms. Farah Al Halwachi conducted the presentation, which was held on Wednesday 4th July 2012, at 7:00 pm at the Bahrain Society of Engineers in Juffair. The PMI-AGC President Mr. Majeed Al Gassab. gave the welcome address and following the welcome note, the PMI-AGC Bahrain Region Director of Presentation & Community Relations, Nada Khonji, a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), gave a brief about the Arabian Gulf Chapter. This included the different certifications provided
by PMI, statistics on AGCs current members, and the many benefits of joining PMI.
After the opening formalities and broad information, an exciting and lively presentation followed. The presenter, Ms. Farah Al Halwachi a Chemical Engineer, certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) shared her exciting experience of implementing a major improvement initiative of Business Process Re- engineering (BRP) for a utilities company. Her presentation covered the understanding of the company’s current processes, the elements that go into developing both an As-is and Re-engineered Risk Register, the experience in creating new processes to
close the gaps and ensure all processes are captured, and analysing and re- engineering processes.
Ms. Al Halwachi then encouraged participants to make this session interactive, by inviting the attendees to join in and share their knowledge and experience on the topic. Many insightful questions were asked and reflected upon during the session – it really proved to be a fruitful session for both the speaker and participants. The evening ended with a networking session between the participants, and the Q&A session continued over a light dinner. Talk, discussions and exchanging experiences flowed freely in the open and friendly atmosphere created by Ms Al Halwachi’s presentation.
Business Process Re-engineering: My Experience!
bahRain
CALL FOR NOMINATIONs 2013 PMI PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD (POY-2013)
Dear Members : I would like to take the opportunity to inform you that PMI Headquarters have posted the information for “Call for Nominations – 2013 PMI Project Of The Year Award”. Information about the program can be found on PMI web site at http://www.pmi.org/About-Us.aspx (scroll down to professional awards). The “call for nominations” for all 2013 PMI Professional Awards opened on 1 November 2012 with the submission deadline for all awards being 1 April 2013. The 2012 award recipients are also listed on this site. All submission/nominee information, evaluations and rating sheets are confidential to PMI and will not be disclosed. The PMI Project of the Year Award application, timeline, guidelines, etc. were completely revised for the 2013 program. April 1st is now the deadline for all professional awards, including the PMI Project of the Year Award. Information about the 2013 PMI Project of the Year Award can be viewed on this web page: http://www.pmi.org/About-Us/Our-Professional-Awards/Project-of-the-Year-Award. aspx Please review the documents located in the box to the right of the page text which are labeled “Application Forms and Resources”. Below are the hyperlinks below for your convenience. POY Application Document 2013 POY Application Guidelines 2013 POY Application Contact Information 2013 Award Program Release Document 2013 Awards Program Permissions Document 2013 For further information on POY 2013 you may contact the PMI-AGC Head Office thru e-mail at : [email protected]. sincerely Yours, PMI-Arabian Gulf Chapter E-mail: [email protected]
Project Management Institute - Arabian Gulf Chapter (PMI-AGC)
Regions : KsA|Bahrain|Qatar|Kuwait|Oman
The benefits of Project Management to General Management
OMan
A Technical Presentation highlighting the more obvious drawbacks to management practices that don’t have the benefit of a Project Management approach to planning was the main subject of PMI-Arabian Gulf Chapter’s 3rd Technical Presentation held on Saturday 20th October 2012 in Modern College of Business and Science in Oman.
The presentation began with a welcome note by Mohammed Al- Ghanboosi, President of Oman Region- PMI AGC, He delivered a brief update to the members regarding the status of PMI community in Oman and briefly highlighted the events that took place this year and the challenges and opportunities facing PMI Oman community.
He then introduced the key note speaker, Mr. Laith Al Harthi who gave a presentation on “Impact of the Project Management Style on General Management from a local perspective”. The presentation highlighted some of the most apparent negative management practices in the local
context. It also demonstrated how the application of Project Management Principles and PMI Methodology could play a significant role towards narrowing the gap between the existing management behaviour and that of the Industrial Standards and Recognized Best Practices.
Professionals from several different sectors of industry and commerce attended the presentation and a number of the attendees shared their experiences on the topic.
The presentation was rounded off with a group dinner and an opportunity for social interaction and networking.
GPM news
Financially green in
grows in Saudi Arabia
JAnuARy 2013 gulF PROJECT MAGAzInE 1918
G oing green is the order of the day and the massive 1.6 sq.km King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh
is at the forefront of a revolutionary new way of developing and designing a project. KAFD is designed by Henning Larsen Architects (HLA) who have used a variety of alternative energy and passive design techniques in order to win its ‘green’ certification. These include developing several ecosystems, water features and judicious shading to mitigate excess solar gain and eventually bring the district’s temperature down by an impressive 8 degrees Celsius.
Today, over six years since work began on the project, Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) is still arguably the largest “green” project in the world. It is the brainchild of the Saudi Public Pension Agency (PPA), the land owner and prime developer that set up the Rayadah Investment Company to oversee the project to fruition.
The Saudi Binladin Group is the principal design and build contractor on the project and is responsible for maintaining the project’s aim for Leadership in Energy and Enviromental Design (LEED). According to a MEED report in October, 2012, Mr. Whysal Numan, a director for LEED at the Saudi BinLadin Group, said that the drive to achieve the highest standards in sustainability has involved a wide range of initiatives to lift environmental standards both during the construction process and well after the opening of the project, which is scheduled to take place in 2014.
As energy performance is most critical for LEED requirements, the district aims for a 10 per cent reduction in energy use. According to Mr. Numan, several strategies have been introduced in order to achieve this and they include the use of low ultra-violet materials, shading device systems, heat recovery systems and efficient light fixtures.
“We are aiming to use at least 50 per cent of the materials from recycled material,” Mr. Numan said. This has involved using recycled steel as well as porcelain. “We are aiming that at least 10 per cent of the total cost will be in the form of recycled material and we could get to 20 per cent and more,” he said. Building materials have been selected which are extracted and manufactured within 500 miles of the project site for a miniumum of 10 per cent of the cost of the total value of materials
used in the project,” The targetted 20 per cent includes extensive use of sustainable adhesives, paints, flooring and composite wood all of which are expected to ensure that this target is reached.
Other sustainability initiatives at the project include an erosion sedimentation control plan to reduce pollution from dust and to control soil erosion. One of the simpler measures taken is land-watering in the project – something that is done each hour and every day. This, along with measures such as controlling traffic speed also help to control dust coming from the site. The greening of the project includes diverting at least 50 per cent of construction waste from disposal in landfill and incinerators and employing practical ways and means of improving the indoor air quality so as to reduce
health risks for construction workers. The project will also use
alternative transport systems, and Mr. Whysal said, “The KAFD is to have a monorail system with six stations that will connect with public parking areas. Special parking areas have been designated for bicycles and changing rooms have been provided for people who come to the district by bicycle.” LEED requirements demand that water consumption must be reduced by 20 per cent. To achieve this, technology used in the project includes, among other measures, dual-flush toilet systems, low-water flow fittings as well as judicious use of grey water.
Various retail, financial, residential and cultural facilities will have green roofs that provide insulation and smart lighting solutions to further ensure that energy use is kept to a minimum.
KAFD will be a pedestrian- friendly centre in Riyadh with a monorail and solar powered skywalk bridges, facades will include building integrated solar cells and as far as possible cladding materials have been locally sourced – according to World Architecture News – so that the project’s carbon footprint will be further reduced.
THE PROJECT Described as the most significant
real estate development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia KAFD is situated on what was a vacant 160-hectare site in the north-east of Riyadh traversed by a wadi. The project was estimated to cost SR28billion ($10bn) and will soon be home to the head offices of Saudi
Arabia’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA), the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), the World Trade Centre, the GCC Central Bank and the Saudi American Bank (Samba) as well as several other institutions, service- oriented companies and suppliers.
Spread over 1.6million square metres, the King Abdullah Financial District, on completion, will have 34 towers, 62,000 parking spaces and accommodation for 12,000 residents. The KAFD aims to create 44,000 new jobs and to be the largest financial
centre in the Middle East. Key projects currently nearing
completion include the Villas in the Sky, the Gem Building, Crystal Towers and the Mosque all of which individually and collectively are designed to achieve LEED certification on completion.
VILLAs IN THE sKY The 34-storey Villas in the Sky
tower is situated on parcel 2.13 of the development. It is one of the last buildings in the green thoroughfare – the Wadi – and in a transition
PROJECT REPORT
zone between the public square and the Wadi. The Tower, a prominent landmark for the district, offers a gross floor area of 41,000 sq.m.
The mixed use tower, in keeping with its location, is “an ideal high-rise building” in that its polygonal shape with four equal sides allows for highly flexible spaces. The upper levels of the tower have shifted plates that create a jagged facade. This unusual treatment creates a visual differentiation of the various components of the mixed-use building.
The distinctly different components include a retail section,
a commercial office area and above these a dedicated residential space. The retail section covers the first three storeys that are connected to the Wadi at the ground level and by footbrdges – Skywalks – for easy access at the higher levels. Fourteen floors above this retail section are dedicated to office space while the top twelve floors house 22 residential units. The entire tower will be served by 14 elevaors, ten reserved for residential use, two for retail and two will operate as goods lifts.
Other noteworthy design features include a curtain-wall glass facade with angled panels that allow the use of
transparent glazing oriented towards the ground, while sloping light- coloured cladding provides shaded interiors and significantly cuts energy- consumption.
GEM BUILDING This relatively small building on
Parcel 2.10 is so named because of its jewel-like scale rising to a mere 15 floors. The epithet is further enhanced by its crystalline form and faceted facades.
The Gem has a gross area of 33,500sq.m and comprises three separate buildings – a residential block,
an office block and a multi-purpose podium with a terrace overlooking the garden linked to the green pedestrian thoroughfare of the district.
The faceted exterior of the building is wrapped in a high-quality metal-mesh fabric that provides solar protection and weather-resistance to local sandstorms. Additionally, the geometry and siting of the building create shades between the volumes and this, along with the KAFD project-strategy for water-efficiency, reclamation and energy-efficient
technology, all go towards supporting the project’s mandate of sustainability.
CRYsTAL TOWERs This block, consisting of two
towers of 18 and 26 storeys, is located between the Financial Plaza – situated at the heart of the masterplan – and the Wadi. Together the towers offer a gross floor area of 93,000sq.m.for commercial and retail occupation.
The Towers feature a raised podium that permits direct access to the Financial Plaza on the one
side and the Wadi on the other. The podium provides a shaded outdoor meeting area while creating a clear and dramatic entrance to the towers’ lobbies. Post-tensioned beams have been used to create an impressive 70m span between the towers.
Decorative recessed scaled crystalline apertures on the towers are designed to minimise solar heat gain while optimising views to the surrounding plaza and landscape. To root the building in the region and contribute to the ideals of
PROJECT REPORT
sustainability, a light local stone cladding with a long lifespan and low maintenance costs has been used.
THE MOsQUE The Mosque is a religious
sanctuary on the east end of Parcel 2.14 and has been built for both visitors and residents of the King Abdullah Financial District. FXFOWLE’s design – a white,
rectangular volume which gently rests over a raised pool of reflecting water – is a contemporary interpretation of traditional Islamic symbolism. The district Mosque is precisely oriented towards Mecca and surrounded on all four sides by water. It is accessed by what appear to be floating walkways that connect at the plaza level via steps and a ramp. The main walkway leads to
the primary Mosque entrance, a small portal positioned on axis with the main prayer room on the first level. Once past this opening, a central corridor leads to the prayer hall entrance. Ablution areas and administrative functions are located on both sides of this corridor.
At the end of the corridor, entrance doors open to reveal a double height main prayer room with a central mezzanine towards the back serving auxiliary prayer functions. Stair entrances on either end of a transverse corridor lead to the mezzanine and roof levels.
The structure is clad in white marble, a classical material traditionally used in mosques to symbolise purity. The reflecting pool on which the mosque rests is lined with polished black marble known for its reflective properties.
The surface treatment of the Mosque’s exterior begins at the four corners of the structure. Each façade is faceted, originating from the corner and bevelling in towards a focal point on each side of the building. The facades are covered with patterned metal screens of laser-cut aluminum
approximately a quarter inch thick. An algorithmic interpretation of the eight- pointed Islamic star, the designers created the screen by abstracting a star pattern by scaling and superimposing it upon itself. The screen is supported by a steel diagrid, a diamond-shaped structural frame that is attached to the solid stone marble border. The result is an active, visually dynamic, porous metal and stone façade.
The focal point of the 65-foot x 40- foot main prayer room is the mihrab, a niche on the west wall that is carefully aligned with Mecca. The marble wall is engraved with verses from the Qur’an. The filigreed exterior screens create a play of light and shadow on the Mosque’s interior that constantly changes with the season and time of day. Illumination is provided by concentric arrays of lighted orbs suspended from the ceiling to represent the sky.
OTHER PROJECTs Several other developments
within the KAFD are at different levels of completion. These include the following: • World Trade Centre: this
prestigious building, assigned by Rayadah Investment Company to Gensler and Saudi Binladen Group, is 300m tall and is designed to be an iconic arhitectural landmark within the district. Located on a prominent corner site, the World Trade Centre is organised around the Wadi and will eventually house more than 5,000 personnel.
• GCC Bank Headquarters: this state-of-the art office space in the heart of the KAFD development is tailored specifically in response to contemporary workplace and environmental demands.
It is clad in a distinctive copper and stainless steel shell which is designed to be both aesthetically pleasing and to protect the interior from solar gain.
PROJECT REPORT
We are aiming to use at least 50 per cent of the materials from recycled material.
PROJECT REPORT
• Conference Centre: Spread over an area of 28,350sq.m. the Award Winning Conference Centre – aready acclaimed by the New York Chapter American Landscape Architects (for unbuilt architecture) reflects the angularity of a stark desert landscape. The design inspiration of this building,
however, belies the high-tech features incorporated into its construction. Points to look for include flexible conferencing facilities with operable walls, a 600-seat auditorium with full lecture and cinema support, a digital forum approach that alows all venues to be internally and externally
networked. Other features that set these conference rooms on an altogether new status include the incorporation of 4-wall video environments with walls that contain retractable projection screens so users can conduct virtual video meetings with other conference rooms in the centre or elsewhere in
the world. Each room is also clad in electrochromic glass which permits users to change it at will from clear to opaque glass and so control light levels and ensure privacy. A “media cloud” in the ceiling of each conference room permits communication with attendees’ mobile media devices and also allows for wireless sharing and projection of user content.
On the sustainability front, the Conference Centre features areas of glazing that reduce susceptibility to the desert sun, a ventilation system that incorporates a ‘solar chimney’ and uses solar heat to move air through the main atrium spaces. Even the roof contains indigenous desert grasses to minimise irrigation requirements. • Wyndham Hotel: This 17-storey, 214-room hotel on Parcel 1.08 is yet another architectural marvel. Located on the east side of the KAFD alongside the Wadi, the hotel – a prism-shaped tower - will have four basement levels, a three-storey podium and a 9-storey opening that divides programmatic functions and allows for views and sunlight into the building’s mass. The podium structure houses the hotel’s amenities – conference facilities, a
multipurpose hall, restaurants, spa and rooftop terrace. The 5-star business hotel is managed as a Wyndham property.
According to the district’s construction covenants all buildings facing the Wadi must have a multi- faceted facade. Consequently, the Wyndham Hotel’s north side is made of a semi-transparent aluminium-
and-glass curtain wall and features a wavy facade. This is reflected on the south side of the building as well, however here the surface undulations are constructed of a more opaque stone surface to mitigate extreme heat. The east and west sides of the building echo the uneven profile with a saw-toothed design with continuous slab edges that, while providing visual interest, also offers shading.
With contruction going apace and several components of the KAFD completed or nearing completion, the King Abdullah Financial District has raised the bar for sustainable construction and design. It is years ahead of other similar projects both in the region and beyond. As a beacon for future developments it has led the way in its use of materials, green measures – during construction and post-completion, as well as in its sheer size and concept.
From masterplan to macro- engineering, the Rayadah Investment Company has worked with ten of the world’s best international architectural practices to deliver an environment that is sustainable, responsible and above all livable.
28
In all WALKs OF LIFE Project Management is everywhere Mohammed Masood
PMP, ITIL V3
Customer Project/Program Manager.
MEMbER’s subMissiOn
Mohammed Masood, feels passionately about the subject of introducing Project Management at school level. To write this article he undertook a degree of personal
research and applied his own project- management approach to life in order develop a platform which would, he says, work in the schools. He says, “my thoughts take me back to my school days when I did not have a clear vision about what I was going to do in the next five years. By introducing the basic framework at school level a student can set goals/visions and treat them as projects and follow the standard approach that they learn so that they are guaranteed no less than success.” This article is an individual opinion, he hopes that it will promulgate a concept that is close to his heart.
ABout the Author
M ohammed Masood, feels passionately about the subject of introducing Project Management
at school level. To write this article he undertook a degree of personal research and applied his own project- management approach to life in order develop a platform which would, he says, work in the schools. He says, “my thoughts take me back to my school days when I did not have a clear vision about what I was going to do in the next five years. By introducing the basic framework at a school level a student can set goals/visions and treat them as projects and follow the standard approach that they learn so that they are guaranteed no less than success.” This article is an individual opinion, but he hopes that it will promulgate a concept that is close to his heart.
Adoption of project management practices to any “goal set” or “Vision” yields a desirable outcome. Let us take for example a student, who at an early age has a long-term vision to become an engineer, doctor or an entrepreneur, and wishes to transform that vision into a reality. The majority of students strive hard, follow the curriculum and study in each academic year with a very narrow vision limited to clearing or passing the exams irrespective of knowledge gained as each academic year passes. In reality the students never realize that their vision to become engineers, doctors or entrepreneurs, is, in and of itself, a project and that the outcome of this project is the vision that they had envisaged in the early stages of their lives. At this stage, the mindset of the student is not fully focused as he or she just follows the pattern for study taught in the school or college.
To develop the immature mind PMI should consider developing an introductory, customized, very basic/ fundamental project management course. This could be introduced at the school level to assist students and enable them to construct their own study plan, evaluate knowledge gained and consider how the knowledge gained will eventually apply to the field
they are eventually looking to join. A step by step approach via a
fundamental course on project management at the school level would definitely help to change the mindset of students and assist with overcoming the vague vision of just passing their exams to a much more focused mind for gaining knowledge and understanding how to apply that knowledge to the field he or she is studying for. In other words PMI directly prepares young minds by putting them into a globally accepted framework and proven practices.
In today’s environment the best practices of project management are greatly needed in any field for an outcome to be a desirable. The professional certification in Project Management then becomes an essential qualification to meet and fulfill the market demand – that of applying best practices – which then becomes the core requirements for any project.
In my personal opinion, and from observing and interacting with those in my community and those whom I come across as casual acquaintances, I have seen that there are many project managers and would-be project managers who are interested in becoming certified Project Managers. However, when it comes to the assessment of pre- qualification requirements - as set out by PMI for PMP Certification – viz. 35 hours of Project management training + 4500 hours if you are a graduate, or 7500 hours of Project management training hours needed if you are NOT
a graduate, etc. - I have noticed that most of them give up on their plans to complete the certification.
Although there are several
dependent factors we can count here that are preventing experienced project managers from becoming certified Project Managers, one of the main factors is that they are missing the fundamental project management training. The other factor, which I noted and which is common in the field of project management, is a time constraint. Generally people don’t find the time to study or attend full day classes; this is in spite of being support by the organization with which they work. One only realizes how significant the personal development is after one becomes a certified Project manager (PMP). Only then is it understood how important a role time management plays, irrespective of the number of
projects one manages and the time constraints one has.
With the introduction of fundamental project management processes and framework at the school level and in the long term (may be in less than a decade), PMI will certainly reap the fruits of and contribution to young minds of the organized approach towards achieving a better outcome or result through the application of best practices. Moreover, the pre-requisite of 35 hours needed prior to filing the application for certification will not be required if a person is a graduate and/or has attended a school where this is taught, as by default he or she would already have the necessary pre-requisite. And so, to apply for the
examination he or she should only need the required experience hours in the field of project management.
PMI’s research and work have already proved and convinced the world that the adoption of project management practices (PMBOK V4) has, over the years, become the key to the success of projects. By introducing a similar framework at school level with a different terminology such as “Management of Visions” or “How to set the goals and manage them to get the desirable results”, etc. And, given PMI’s track record, introducing the project management curriculum at the school level globally shouldn’t be that big a thing. In addition, I strongly believe that this approach will be welcomed whole-heartedly.
This methodology of shaping the mindset of students as to how to realize their visions or goals through the application of a PMI recommended framework is sure to be a success, because it is a predictable outcome. However, this is not just limited to the application of school level goals or visions but rather the practice of project management will evolve over time and will work when they are able to move into real project management professions with a little or no effort.
Project management exists everywhere and in all walks of life, as it requires a focused mind to observe all around him, a conscious mind to visualize goals and act upon it to proactively achieve it at some point in time. What is required here is to have a standard approach or best practices framework to be followed for realizing goals as every vision or goal anticipates no less than a good outcome or success. And to achieve this one needs to apply proven and best practices. Having this at the school level means shaping the mindset to be able to think and apply all that is learned when it is needed.
In conclusion, I highly recommend PMI to promulgate this idea, brainstorm further on the subject matter of this article and take action if this in the wider interest of the PMI organization.
L arge projects run for several years and are often completed in phases. Almost all ICT (Information and
Communications Technology) domains have a life cycle of 5-8 years and ICT infrastructure is the most significant as it is designed and implemented at the time of construction consuming most of its life cycle time.
The ICT industry has experienced dynamic transformation with more and more data being transported at ever increasing speeds and so has the ITS (Information Transport System). It is imperative to revisit the ITS infrastructure design for enhancements and necessary inclusions, during the project/phase execution in order to do justice to the facility’s ICT requirement at a future date. Enhancements resulting from
design review can be implemented relatively easily this helps avoid doing so when the facility is functional.
Lessons learnt from phase closure process and incorporating the ITS (Information Transport System) advancements include: infrastructure design reviews and consultation with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) to establish the visibility for subsequent phases of the project. This calls for the project management team to play a proactive and pivotal role in enhancing their vision to add value to their projects. The concept of adding value to the project is inevitably important, when it refers to laying ICT infrastructure.
Prince Mohammad University project began in the year 2006, since then the university campus has several buildings that were
completed in a phased manner. At the time the project was designed, the 1G Network was popular, however in the subsequent years 10G has taken its place. Information usage has grown immensely and hence its transportation system has to keep pace with it. We adapted the change in ITS requirement and implemented 10G ICT Infrastructure to the rest of the buildings.
With every passing day, ICT usage scales up and by putting the right ITS infrastructure in place we can deliver the projected services. Project managers are expected to add value to their project by initiating/ recommending/ implementing ITS infrastructure enhancement, put forward by Communications Infrastructure Designer on board/ on consultation.
Add value to your project
by Mohammed Asgharuddin Ahmed
T here are around 270 Chapters serving Project Management Institute (PMI) members and communities in more than 70
countries around the world and we are proud to have our chapter, PMI-AGC among the top performing chapters in the world. PMI –AGC has always focused on adding value and addressing the needs of our community. We have been constantly recognized by business organizations and practitioners as a vital contributor that represents PMI in the region and promotes the discipline and profession of our practice. PMI- AGC over and the course of several years has consistently helped in spreading awareness of PMI and project management by reaching out to leading organizations in the region, interacting with local governments, hosting conferences, events, seminars, courses
for local practitioners thus providing our members with opportunities to grow, network and earn Professional Development Units to maintain their credentials.
We are keen to further enhance the services we provide to our community by increasing the portfolio of services we offer our members in order to help them with their professional growth. We want to ensure that organizations in our geographical coverage obtain anticipated business results through the application of PMI’s Best Practices.
We are determined to increase our range of partners starting from local entities such as universities, schools, other PMI chapters and all the way to different complementary institutes that add significant value to our members. Some of our existing partners include Kuwait Information
Technology Society, Loyac, Ras AlKhaima Government and Hult International Business School.
Furthermore, we are strong believers in the importance of the internet and online communities. Therefore, we are planning to venture into revamping our portal and bundling it with exclusive features for members such as a webinars, knowledge base, articles, case studies, white papers, discussion forums and blogs. We are also looking into providing mobile apps that will keep our members in the know of all the events that we are hosting in the region.
To better compete and maintain that elusive edge in our fast paced competitive market, professionals need to build their agility and sharpen their skills. PMI-AGC is committed to helping our members in excelling in their profession by providing adequate infrastructure to will help them achieve their goals.
By taking project management
[email protected]
An Attempt to Leverage historical
Value Engineering Proposals Dr. Muhammad A. Al-Ghamdi, Value Specialist
Saudi Aramco
INTRODUCTION Since the establishment of Saudi Aramco’s Value
Engineering Program, there have been over 250 value engineering studies conducted on Saudi Aramco’s capital projects, business processes, standards and procedures. These efforts have resulted in the development of over 3,000 value engineering proposals (VEPs) all of which were presented to decision makers for implementation.
In an effort to leverage this great wealth of value engineering (VE) knowledge to benefit current and future Saudi Aramco capital projects, 34 VE reports were reviewed and 299 VEPs were analyzed. This resulted in the identification of seven categories of VEPs that can be utilized to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of value engineering studies.
This article will provide some information on the current utilization of VEPs in Saudi Aramco projects, the benefits of expanding their use and the study conducted to identify the seven categories of VEPs: Remove, Replace, Reduce, Rearrange, Reutilize, Raise and Relate.
sAUDI ARAMCO VALUE ENGINEERING PROPOsALs Value Engineering (VE) is used to improve the value of
those Saudi Aramco capital projects that meet Saudi Aramco VE implementation criteria. This value is further enhanced through the implementation of VE on business processes, standards and procedures that influence the planning and execution of these projects.
The value can be improved through the incorporation of Value Engineering Proposals (VEPs) that are accepted for implementation in the Design Basis Scoping Paper (DBSP) and Project Proposal (PP) documents. Currently, the benefits of VEPs are limited to the particular projects for which they were developed.
saudi Aramco Value Engineering Program The Saudi Aramco Value Engineering Program (SAVEP)
went through several turning points that shaped its current form. The main milestones and accomplishments of SAVEP can be summarized as follows: • Prior to 1998 – VE was implemented sporadically on
Saudi Aramco capital projects.
• 1998 – The SAVEP was formally established. • 1998 – Saudi Aramco adopted the Society of American
Value Engineers (SAVE) International VE methodology. • 1998 – The VE group was formed. • 1998 – Value Engineering studies (VESs) were facilitated
by out of company VE consultants for a selected number of projects.
• 1999 – The first Associate Value Specialist (AVS) certificate was earned.
• 2000 – The Value Engineering Unit (VEU) was established.
• 2000 – VE implementation criteria were introduced [One VE study for projects > $10 Million (MM) and two VE studies for projects > $50 MM).
• 2000 – VESs were facilitated by Saudi Aramco VE professionals.
• 2000 – The first Certified Value Specialist (CVS) certificate was earned.
• 2003 – VE was first conducted on SA business processes, standards and procedures.
• 2003 – Saudi Aramco VE guide was issued. • 2006 – VEU was merged with the Best Practices Unit
(BPU) to form the Value Practices Unit (VPU). • 2006 – VE facilitation was outsourced to an approved list
of out of company VE consultants. • 2009 – VE implementation criteria were revised [One
VE study for projects > $30 MM and two VE studies for projects > $100 MM).
• 2011 – VE facilitation was resumed by Saudi Aramco VE professionals with the support of the approved list of out of company VE consultants.
• 2011 – The Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure (SAEP)- 367, Value Practices Implementation Requirements, was issued.
• 2011 – The Value Practices Management System (VPMS) was developed.
saudi Aramco Value Engineering Process
Any VES consists of three stages, the pre-VE session, VE-session and post VE-session. The activities and durations of these stages are illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1 – stages, Activities and Duration of a VEs
stages Pre-VE session VE session Post-VE session
Activities Data collection Information Phase VEPs finalization Models development functional Analysis Phase VE Executive summary Team invitation Creativity Phase Implementation meeting Coordination meeting Evaluation Phase VE report Session preparation Development Phase follow on AfS VEPs Presentation Phase
Durations 1-4 weeks 2-5 days 1-4 weeks
Saudi Aramco’s VE process is similar to the internationally recognized methodology established by Saudi Aramco VE International and it is applicable for capital projects, in addition to business processes, standards and procedures.
Currently, VE is implemented two times on the 90% DBSP and the 30% PP of projects that have cost estimates greater than $100 MM. For projects that are greater than $30 MM, it is mandated to be conducted one time at either milestone.
In addition, VESs are being facilitated by Saudi Aramco VE professionals and out of company approved VE consultants. It is always recommended for VE studies to be facilitated by a CVS. However, an AVS with enough facilitation experience can lead a VE study.
Deliverables of Value Engineering studies The main deliverable of a VES is a VE report that
should provide a firm standing of the implementation status of the VEPs. In addition, the VE report shall describe Value Engineering Recommendations (VERs) and capture Value Engineering Ideas (VEIs). VEPs, VERs and VEIs can be defined as: • VEP is an idea that has been created, evaluated and
developed in a VE session and has the potential for the value improvement of the value engineered project. It is
presented for implementation and documented in the VE report. A VEP that meets the basic function of the project is considered a value adding proposal when: - The Life Cycle Cost (LCC) is reduced with increased
quality. - The LCC is reduced with maintained quality. - The LCC is reduced with reduced quality, provided
that the reduction in quality is less than the reduction in LCC.
- The LCC is maintained with increased quality. - The LCC is increased with increased quality, provided
that the increase in quality is more than the increase in LCC.
• VER is an idea that has been created, evaluated and developed in a VE session and has the potential for the value improvement of a future project. It is documented in the VE report.
• VEI is an idea that has been created and evaluated in a VE session and has the potential for triggering future VEPs or VERs. It is documented in the VE report.
VEPs are developed in a one-page template to provide details on the base and alternative cases, their LCC estimates and their advantages and disadvantages. VERs are developed in a paragraph that provides enough detail for their future utilization and VEIs are captured in the VE report as a line item. Figure 2 illustrates the deliverables of a VE session.
Information Phase
Functional Analysis
Creativity Phase
Evaluation Phase
Development Phase
Presentation Phase
Figure 2 – Deliverables of a VEs
Implementation of Value Engineering Proposals By the end of the VE session, a VE executive summary -
that contains the developed VEPs - is sent to decision - makers prior to the VEP’s implementation meeting. The main purpose of this meeting is to finalize the implementation status of the VEPs. By the end of the meeting, VEPs will be classified as Accepted (A), Accepted for Further Study (AFS) or Not Accepted (NA).
The VE implementation meetings are attended by decision-makers representing the Project Management Team (PMT), Facilities Planning Department (FPD), proponent and other stakeholder departments, on an as needed basis. The meeting is usually coordinated by Planning Engineers or Project Engineers with the support of VE facilitators and attended by some team members who are needed to clarify issues related to the presented VEPs.
AFS VEPs are those that are accepted in principle; however, more efforts are needed to confirm their magnitude or clarify their implementation requirements and consequences. Once these efforts are exerted, AFS VEPs shall be finalized as A or NA VEPs and shall be dealt with accordingly.
Figure 3 illustrates the inputs and outputs of a VEP implementation meeting.
Utilization of Value Engineering Proposals
After the issuance of a draft VE report, A VEPs will be directly reflected in DBSPs or PPs, depending on the project stage at which VESs are implemented. Furthermore, AFS VEPs shall be finalized as soon as possible by the Planning Engineers or Project Engineers to capture their benefits in a timely manner. The final VE report shall reflect the final status, i.e., A or NA, of AFS VEPs.
Currently, the benefits of VEPs are limited to the projects for which these proposals were developed. It is not common for VEPs of previous VESs to be utilized for current or future Saudi Aramco capital projects.
THE REUTILIZATION OF VALUE ENGINEERING PROPOsALs
Saudi Aramco has a great wealth of VE knowledge, and there are numerous advantages for the reutilization of historical VEPs.
saudi Armco’s Value Engineering Knowledge
Since the introduction of VE in Saudi Aramco, there have been more than 250 VESs. These studies were conducted on projects of different types, sizes and complexities. In addition, they were implemented on business processes, standards and procedures.
There were more than 100,000 man-hours spent by VE team members representing various Saudi Aramco Departments in addition to contract personnel. There are more than 3,000 VE proposals resulting from these studies and representing multidisciplinary based alternatives for the planning and execution of Saudi Aramco capital projects.
Advantages of Reutilizing Historical Value Engineering Proposals
The reutilization of historical VEPs will lead to, at least, the following benefits: • Trigger ideas during VE sessions. • Reduce durations of VE sessions. • Waive some VE studies. • Motivate VE team members to create and develop better
VEPs. • Facilitate the use of VEPs of previous projects to enhance
the value of current and future projects. • Identify areas for improvement in business processes,
standards and procedures. • Share VE knowledge. • Contribute to Saudi Aramco’s Intellectual Capital
program.
Figure 3 – Inputs and Outputs of a VEP Implementation Meeting
JAnuARy 2013 gulF PROJECT MAGAzInE 3938
THE sEVEN R’s OF VALUE ENGINEERING PROPOsALs
A study was conducted to leverage some of the historical VEPs. The study resulted in the identification of seven categories for the classification of VEPs.
Data Collection The reports of more than 183 VESs were collected with
the help of VE Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). The review of these documents underlined the need to enhance the quality and completeness of some VE reports.
Only 25% of the collected VE reports were randomly selected to pursue this study. It was found that 34 VE reports are complete and suitable for use. These reports have a total of 363 VEPs. The proposals were filtered to 299 VEPs.
Analysis The filtered VEPs were reviewed and this led to the
identification of seven categories that can be used for the classification of VEPs. For simplicity, these categories were named with titles that start with the letter “R” since most of them do. They are:
• “Remove” VEPs Definition: Delete or eliminate a scope item. Example: Eliminate the upgrade of the pre-heater
[Budget Item (BI) 10-00040, VEP #1]. • “Replace” VEPs Definition: Exchange a scope item with an alternative. Example: Use waterproofing concrete admixture
instead of painting concrete (BI 10-00081, VEP #7).
• “Reduce ” VEPs Definition: Decrease the number, size or area of a scope
item. Example: Optimize the number of Lift Stations from 15
to 10 (BI 10-00017, VEP #MP16). • “Rearrange ” VEPs Definition: Reorganize the components of a scope item. Example: Connect the fuel oil pressure indicator in
Area-2 to the Area-2 DCS, not to the Utility Area DCS (BI 10-00156, VEP #A47).
• “Reutilize ” VEPs Definition: Use existing materials, equipment or facilities
for the intended scope item.
Table 1 – Percentages of VEPs Categories vs. VEPs Implementation Decisions
VEPs Accepted Accepted for Further Not Accepted All (n= 144) study (n= 34) (n=121) (n= 299) Remove (%) 26 21 25 25 Replace (%) 20 26 25 23 Reduce (%) 16 12 14 15 Rearrange (%) 16 9 13 14 Reutilize (%) 11 24 6 10 Raise (%) 9 3 9 8 Relate (%) 2 6 8 5 Total (%) 100 100 100 100
Table 2 – Percentages of VEPs Implementation Decisions vs. VEPs Categories
VEPsc Accepted (%) Accepted for Further study (%) Not Accepted (%) Total (%) Remove (n=74) 50 9 41 100 Replace (n=68) 43 13 44 100 Reduce (n=44) 52 9 39 100 Rearrange (n=42) 55 7 38 100 Reutilize (n=31) 52 26 23 100 Raise (n=25) 52 4 44 100 Relate (n=15) 20 13 67 100
Example: Use the existing unused transformers 601- A&B located at Substation-260 and change the configuration (BI 10-00223, VEP #2.11).
• “Raise” VEPs Definition: Increase the size, number or area of a scope
item or add a new scope item. Example: Install new cable from existing Substation-7
to new system (BI 10-00478, VEP #B3). • “Relate” VEPs Definition: Merge two or more scope items. Example: Combine the two material supply offices into
one building at South Dhahran (BI 10-00296, VEP #C21).
The percentages of VEPs categories vs. their implementation decisions are presented in Table 1 and Table 2.
Findings
In general, the findings of this study can be summarized as follows: • Not all VE reports are in the final complete form. • Most, if not all, VEPs can be classified using the identified
seven categories. • Almost half (48%) of VEPs are “Remove” and “Replace”
VEPs.
• Six of the identified groups have 50% chance of being accepted.
• Of “Relate” VEPs, 67% were not accepted. • Of the “Reutilize” VEPs, 26% required further study.
sUMMARY Saudi Aramco has a wealth of Value Engineering
knowledge. Hundreds of Value Engineering Proposals can be leveraged to benefit current and future Value Engineering studies. This article documents an attempt made to leverage this knowledge.
In this article, an overview was given on Saudi Aramco’s Value Engineering Program, the Value Engineering process and the deliverables of a Value Engineering session. It also highlighted the number of developed Value Engineering Proposals and the benefits that can be reaped from their reutilization. The article also provided some details on a study that was conducted to assess some of these proposals. The study resulted in the identification of seven categories of Value Engineering Proposals: Remove, Replace, Reduce, Rearrange, Reutilize, Raise and Relate. These categories can be utilized in the various phases of a Value Engineering session to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of developing Value Engineering Proposals.
JAnuARy 201242
Even though budgets remain tight, sustainability
projects can survive the ax - but only if they tie to
organizational strategy.
From GREEN to BLACK
N ot so long ago, sustainability was heralded as the new fixture of “business as usual.” But a funny thing
happened on the way to zero emissions: reality, in the form of an economic meltdown that spread across almost every sector in every major market.
Suddenly, investing in green projects wasn’t worth the risk, even with the potential long-term energy savings and public relations boost. Low-carbon projects couldn’t compete with ones promising high growth.
In sum, during this so-called “recessionary hangover,” sustainability
projects slowed, stopped and in some places even reversed, according to the 2012 State of Green Business report from GreenBiz Group. Among the areas showing a drop in interest were: • Clean technology innovations • Energy intensity • Certifications of energy-efficient
buildings • Recycling and decreasing paper use.
But companies cutting their sustainability projects may be missing out, especially if they equate them just with greening their image. They also need to take a good, long look at the hard numbers.
“If you reduce your water footprint, you can drive sustainability performance, mitigate risks and pick up significant cost savings, especially when you look five to 10 years down the horizon,” says Joe Rozza, global water resource sustainability manager at Coca–Cola Company, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. “It’s this redefined business case that drives these investments and supports the mainline growth strategy of the company.”
Forward-thinking companies aren’t succumbing to the hangover; they see sustainability investments as offering a true edge over rivals.
inTERnaTiOnal FEaTuRE
Gulf Project magazine 43January 201342
“When we talk about sustainability, we see it as a business and innovation driver,” says Robert Metzke, senior director and program manager for electronics manufacturer Philips’ EcoVision program in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Two-thirds of companies see sustainability as a competitive necessity in today’s marketplace, according to a 2012 survey of 2,800 corporate leaders by MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group. That’s up from 55 percent a year earlier.
The study also revealed that just over 30 percent of respondents said sustainability is contributing to their company’s profits. Dubbed “harvesters” by the report authors, these companies
aren’t merely implementing individual initiatives such as lowering carbon emissions or investing in clean technologies; they’re changing their operating frameworks and str

gulf project - pmu.edu.sa

Documents