Dubai, UAE - The British University in Dubai (BUiD), which recently became the first GCC organisation member of GAPPS (Global Alliance for Project Performance Standards), hosted the first International Conference on Global Project Management Standards and Methodologies on February 16th, 2012 in partnership with GAPPS. The conference was also co-sponsored by PMI-Lebanon, SUKAD & ILX GROUP.
Aimed at individuals and organisations who value project, programme and portfolio management as a core business competence, the conference enjoyed great success with more than 100 participants attending. The event boasted several international keynote speakers from the USA, Australia and the UK.
As well as raising awareness of project management as a benefit delivery tool for business, driven by excellence in standards and robust methodologies, the conference also provided a good opportunity for BUiD to create an international forum for exposure and discussion of project management issues. The audience included highly specialized professionals who were attracted from among international and regional academics, practitioners and professional associations."
Dr. Paul Gardiner, Head of Project Management Programme, said: "A critical success factor for the conference was to promote research, knowledge, and understanding about the role development and importance of standards in project management across a range of disciplines, particularly in the UAE which has an established heritage of mega-projects and a growing number of qualified project managers."
Ghada al Shaiba and Farzana Asad were two speakers at the conference representing BUiD's student body. Each presented a research paper from their project management Masters dissertation on competence building and improving organisational performance in the UAE.
Ghada commented: "Competency and role path from project to program to portfolio manager is the subject of my Masters dissertation at BUiD. The dissertation focused on the required competencies and main role of project, program and portfolio managers. Being part of the conference is a beneficial experience that adds to my professional and academic journey. It is the door towards accomplishing my ambition to share knowledge and experience with international audiences. It is really great to have audiences who are excited to know more, willing to discover and curious to explore. I learnt that age doesn't matter, it is all about the knowledge you have and benefits you can deliver and share. I would like to thank my university and staff for their support".
Farzana Asad Mir, Head of Quality at The British University in Dubai, presented a paper linking project management performance and project success. "My Masters dissertation has given me the necessary skills to apply the theoretical knowledge of research methodologies in real work environment. The dissertation study enabled me to understand and analyze how UAE organisations can improve the success rate of projects by focusing on project management performance attributes. This research is an important contribution to the academic and practitioners' knowledge-base as it has provided some practical evidence of the value resulting from investments in project management practices."
The success of the conference will encourage greater engagement with project management practice in the UAE and its improvement in the region and we anticipate larger participation in the years to come.
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About The British University in Dubai
The British University in Dubai (BUiD) is the Middle East's leading research-based postgraduate university, facilitating world-class education, training and research. It provides an important and growing community and resource for young professionals, leading academic, corporate managers and aspiring leaders of all description.
BUiD, a truly local university, is accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and internationally recognised for its top quality education, which is on par with British standards thanks to its association with UK-based universities including the University of Edinburgh, the University of Birmingham, the University of Manchester, Cardiff University, and King's College London.
BUiD offers full and part-time research based Masters Degree programmes; the regions first accredited Doctorate in Education. The Masters programmes are: Education, Finance and Banking, Human Resource Management, Informatics (Knowledge and Data Management), IT Management, Project Management, Systems Engineering, Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, Sustainable Design of the Built Environment and Intelligent Building Design and Automation.
The non-profit university has attracted academic experts to develop regionally tailored programmes, in which they extend and challenge the boundaries of knowledge, understanding and research.
BUiD works in collaboration with leading organization and institutions including Atkins, Emirates Green Council Building, KHDA, Ministry of Education, Dubai Human Resource Forum, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ADCCI) and CIOB among others, to encourage professional development across the UAE's public and private sectors.
The founders of the University are the Al Maktoum Foundation, the Dubai Development and Investment Authority, Rolls-Royce, the British Business Group and the National Bank of Dubai. The University is governed by a Council under the chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
© Press Release 2012
