United Arab Emirates: More than 3,500 officials, executives and project management professionals took part in the 11th Dubai International Project Management Forum, where they issued 31 recommendations aimed at strengthening sustainable urban development, accelerating digital transformation and embedding AI in infrastructure planning as per its theme 'Bridging Communities,' and its five key pillars.

The event was organised by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in collaboration with DP World, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Emaar Properties and the Project Management Institute (PMI) and its five key pillars.

The Forum’s recommendations emphasised that successful mobility projects should focus on reducing travel times and improving quality of life, while infrastructure should act as a strategic driver of sustainable growth that foster positive behaviours rather than solely a development tool.

The recommendations further called for innovation to be community-driven and directed towards serving society, strengthening community partnerships in shaping solutions and building the future.

They highlighted the importance of treating the housing sector as a strategic pillar within the urban development framework, contributing to the consolidation of national identity, enhancing human wellbeing and stability, and positively impacting quality of life and social cohesion.

Addressing the gathering, Moaza Saeed Al Marri, the CEO of Executive Affairs Sector at RTA and Chair of the Organising Committee of the Forum, said these recommendations addressed its main theme, 'Bridging Communities' and its five key pillars: Sustainable City, Digital Transformation, Jobs of the Future, Technology and Future, and Customer Centricity in Project Management.

The recommendations, she stated, also addressed 16 sub-themes, including sustainable growth; communities of the future; leadership and strategy; agile management; digital twin and metaverse; blockchain technology; efficiency and optimisation; remote project management; project and circular economy; the role of specialised education; artificial intelligence; future smart mobility; big data; customer engagement; empowered project teams; and agile and hybrid project management.”

She added: “The recommendations were formulated by experts and specialists, with the participation of more than 3,500 officials, heads of authorities, representatives of global companies and project managers from around the world. The Forum brought together leading expertise to present practical solutions and initiatives, contributing to informed and responsible action to accelerate global economic and environmental prosperity in project management.”

She said: “Over successive editions, the Forum has succeeded in formulating its recommendations with depth and comprehensiveness, further strengthening Dubai’s position and excellence in programme and project management, and highlighting its capacity to host and convene major events and global gatherings that bring together decision-makers, experts and innovators to open new horizons and advance systems of work across key sectors.”

Bridging Communities

In addition, the recommendations noted that the concept and role of media have evolved from a communication tool into an integrated national system and a form of soft infrastructure that supports development visions and strategies. They underscored the importance of embedding a culture of giving and giving back as an institutional approach that delivers sustainable community impact.

Under the theme of “Sustainable City,” the Forum issued four recommendations: adopting urban development models that prioritise long-term value creation and quality of life over short-term commercial returns; positioning the integration of human-centred design, predictive artificial intelligence and digital twins as a foundational pillar for enhancing the urban environment and strengthening cities’ adaptability; embedding sustainability, social inclusion and environmental protection as core components of infrastructure projects to improve quality of life and deliver sustainable developmental impact for future generations; and ensuring that institutional readiness and effective responsiveness to urban changes and crises form an essential element of city governance to safeguard sustainability, enhance safety and accelerate recovery.

Under the theme “Digital Transformation,” the Forum issued five recommendations emphasising the need to align digital investments with strategic priorities to achieve sustainable societal impact, while reaffirming the importance of the human role in decision-making to ensure effective governance and maintain a balance between speed of execution and sound oversight.

The recommendations also underscored the importance of adopting proactive planning and flexible re-planning, supported by artificial intelligence, to ensure projects are delivered in line with approved plans and within time, cost and quality parameters. They further stressed that digital transformation initiatives require robust governance focused on delivering tangible impact and added value for the city, rather than the mere adoption of technology, with clearly defined responsibilities, measurable outcomes and maximised sustainable impact.

Integrating early risk warning indicators

In addition, the Forum called for integrating early risk warning indicators, scenario analysis and alert systems into project, programme and major portfolio management frameworks to strengthen proactive risk management and enhance decision-making.

Under the theme “Technology and Future,” participants issued five recommendations emphasising the importance of establishing clear national and institutional frameworks for the use of artificial intelligence as a foundation for mitigating negative impacts, ensuring ethical compliance and effectively managing associated risks.

The recommendations further stressed that governments and institutions must treat data as a strategic asset that supports competitiveness and informed decision-making, while leveraging AI-enabled systems to enhance productivity and improve the quality and speed of decision-making.

They also highlighted the need for organisations to utilise digital twin applications and scenario modelling to optimise performance across the project lifecycle and support future investment decisions. In addition, the Forum underscored the importance of implementing artificial intelligence grounded in governance, transparency and ethical principles at all levels, enabling innovation to scale while safeguarding trust, accountability and societal acceptance.

Customer centricity in project management

Under the theme “Customer Centricity in Project Management,” participants issued six recommendations emphasising the need to listen to customer needs and adopt design thinking across projects and programmes from concept through to delivery. They further stressed that AI-enabled services must be transparent and explainable, ensuring social responsibility and inclusive access.

Under the theme “Jobs of the Future,” participants issued five recommendations emphasising the need to motivate project managers to continually rediscover their potential by equipping themselves with future-ready skills, professional certifications and adaptive career pathways capable of responding to change.

The recommendations further stressed that project leaders must demonstrate agility and readiness, treating future challenges as opportunities for learning, strengthening adaptability and sustaining performance.

In addition, the Forum called for redefining Project Management Offices as centres of excellence and institutional learning focused on outcomes, flexibility and strategic impact. It also underscored the importance of developing project, programme and portfolio leaders who are proficient in artificial intelligence and capable of integrating advanced technologies with human judgement and strong ethical commitment.