Project Leaders Magazine ISSUE01 APR 2022

We are thrilled to release the first issue of Project Leaders magazine.

Projects like never before are driving change across organizations. More and more business leaders are seeking to deliver value to their organizations through initiatives that make an impact. This becomes one of the core reasons to keep you aware of the latest news from projects around the globe.

NAVEED HASAN n.hasan@projectleadersmagazine.com

People are indivisible part on any project and if taken proper care could become an important asset delivering long term benefit. This is why companies and business leaders need to focus on people rather than positions.

The prime focus this month is the OXAGON - project that is part of a promising vision that is transforming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

VISION & MISSION

The purpose is to bring to our audience the most trusted information about organizations and personalities delivering positive transformation through significant projects that not only align with their business strategy but also add value to the society as a whole in one way or another. This could be pertaining to any industry regardless and to any place on this Globe.

During this covid-19 pandemic for instance, there were more than a single organization who joined hands in producing the vaccine in a significantly short period of time than it would normally take, leaving a huge and positive impact on each of our lives.

People are a vital part of any transformation, and this is the reason we shed light on the lives of leaders who strive to establish and build the 'people first' mindset when dealing with their teams who work hard to deliver the value.

Gone are the days when people used to nod their heads in obedience to their bosses. Today's leadership demands are very different, requiring the leaders to apply unique strategies to deal with their forces with high emotional intelligence.

Today's workforce is knowledgeable and smarter than ever, increasing demand for flexible work hours, target based tasks instead of constant monitoring, ethical leadership which will lead them by example rather than a manager.

'Project Leaders' will be shedding more light on the 'Workforce of the Future' as this is just the beginning.

“Great Leaders Create More Leaders

Good leaders have vision and inspire others to help them turn vision into reality. Great leaders create more leaders, not followers. Great leaders have vision, share vision, and inspire others to create their own.”

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Maldives Floating City

Confronting the Climate Change - Rising Sea Levels

The World's Most Beautiful Building - that stands without pilalrs Museum Of The Future

Cognitive city the world has never witnessed before NEOM

RIYADH METRO

Transforming the face of Saudi Arabia's Capital city

THE PRIME FOCUS

OXAGON

Setting the worldwide standards for breakthrough technology

MALDIVES FLOATING CITY (MFC)

Confronting The Climate Change

World Economic Forum has termed this project as the first-of-its kind “island city” having sustainable design which is developed with the Maldives government will be based in a warm-water lagoon just 10 minutes by boat from the capital Male and its international airport.

Netherlands based Developer Dutch Docklands and the architects of 'waterstudio' have conceptualized a next-generation sea-level riseproof urban development, bringing safety and development space to the Maldives with a mix of green technology, safety, commercial viability, and a healthy new lifestyle, which will be the backbone of future floating cities.

"Maldives Floating City is the first of its kind across the globe — developed to equally embrace sustainability and liveability. By partnering with the Government of the Maldives, MFC offers the most ambitious architecture, and a world-class ownership structure that is transparent, valuedriven and legally-binding."

The project has gone through its planning stages and the construction is supposedly in progress during 2022 and is expected to be completed in phases over the next half decade. MFC buildings will be low-rise and facing the sea -- with shops, homes and services precisely positioned along tidy palm-lined streets.

The Atoll Nation In The Indian Ocean Is Building A Floating City To Mitigate The Effects Of Climate Change Staying On Top Of Rising Sea Levels.

A network of bridges, canals and docks will give MFC an overall sense of cohesiveness and facilitate easy access to its wide-ranging amenities. Throughout the project, sandy beaches will help stabilize and protect key structures within the lagoon, while outside, massive coral reefs will feature hotels, restaurants, and shops.

Once fully realized, a hospital, school and government building will complement the project’s commercial and residential structures.

Image credit: Maldives Floating City (gallery)

THE RACE

‘We may

not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone’

His Highness

Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

The Museum of the future is an exhibition space for innovative and futuristic ideologies, services, and products. A seven-story hollow silver

elliptical structure with Arabic calligraphy phrases from Dubai’s ruler adorning the walls stands proudly on Sheikh Zayed Road, the city’s major expressway. Inaugurated officially on a palindrome date 22.02.2022 by Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, whose vision of the future is recognised as the museum’s driving force.

The 77 meters high, pillarless structure covers an area of 30,000 square meters, with its stainless-steel façade extending over 17,000 square metres, lit by 14,000 metres Arabic calligraphy created by Emirati artist Mattar bin Lahej.

The façade consists of 1,024 plates manufactured entirely by robots in a firstof-its-kind venture in the Middle East. Each façade slab consists of 4 layers, each layer created through 16 technological steps. The installation period of the exterior façade lasted over 18 months and each panel was installed separately.

The National Geographic listed Dubai's 'Museum of the Future' as one of the 14 most beautiful museums in the world for its astounding architecture and sophisticated technological innovations. [source: mediaoffice.ae]

Autodesk Design Software stated that the Museum is one of the most innovative buildings in the world. [source: mediaoffice.ae]

The Museum of the Future is distinguished by the fact that it is an incubator of innovative ideas, technologies and future projects

World's Gateway

To The Future

A Global Destination For Inventors and Entrepreneurs, It Offers Its Clients a Variety of Exciting Experiences to Learn About Future Technologies That Will Change People's Lives.

Dubai's landmark building is designed to explore the future of artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies. The museum not only attracts tourists, but also is a platform for advanced training courses, specialized seminars, scientific conferences and prototype testing of the latest inventions.

The Master Piece

A City that’s powered by sun and wind, comprising of carbon neutral buildings, floating industries, free high-speed internet, cutting-edge security, autonomous transport system, where Robots will perform duties such as home delivery, security, caregiving, and logistics, will no more be a dream. The vision now, as you read this, is being turned into reality. NEOM hopes to increase living standards by combining technology and cultural experiences to align with modern urban planning.

NEOM will be the masterpiece of what a future city should encompass. The city is an essential component of the Kingdom’s strategy developed by Crown Prince HH Mohammed bin Salman. The NEOM project and its future goals will inspire Vision 2030, taking a qualitative leap in Saudi society. It will not only reduce the Kingdom’s reliance on oil but also diversify its economic revenue sources and expand its public service sectors. The first phase of the Neom City Project is estimated to be complete by 2025.

The NEOM project holds an ambitious goal to make the region one of the safest in the world by employing cuttingedge global security across the city, making its inhabitants feel secure.

Intense efforts are being exerted to embrace a futuristic workforce, attracting highly qualified and skilled human resources devoted to innovation, decision-making and enterprise leadership

The Saudi Crown Prince's Vision

The NEOM is one of the most ambitious projects with the world-class technology and smart city infrastructure located in the northwest region of Saudi Arabia, in the Tabuk area, spanning 460 square kilo meters along the Red Sea coast, Tabuk Province. The project is a future conurbation, and the Kingdom’s strategy to promote both external and interior harmony for the residents of NEOM, with an aim to attract tourism and foreign investment.

A new way of life is in the making, that takes into consideration human fantasies and ambitions by using cutting-edge global technology.

“NEOM will focus on 9 specialized investment sectors targeting the future of human civilization, which are the future of energy and water, mobility, biotechnologies, food, technical and digital sciences, advanced manufacturing, media and media production, entertainment, and the future of living, which is the mainstay for the rest of the sectors”

HIS

ROYAL HIGHNESS MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN CROWN PRINCE & CHAIRMAN, NEOM COMPANY BOARD OF DIRECTORS

image credit: Saudi Crown Prince HRH Mohammed Bin Salman at an economic conference in Riyadh, BBC

nference in Riyadh

Something That Has

BRIGHTEST MINDS

SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE

On the 16th of November 2021 the idea of creating the world’s first fully integrated port and supply chain ecosystem was made public by His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Company Board of Directors, naming it OXAGON.

OXAGON will Form the next phase of NEOM’s master plan and represent a radical new model for future manufacturing centres in line with NEOM’s strategies of redefining the way humanity lives and works in the future.

Located near the Suez Canal on the Red Sea, which accounts for approximately 13% of global commerce, OXAGON is positioned to be one of the world’s most technologically sophisticated logistics centres, with state-of-theart integrated port and airport connections.

For NEOM, OXAGO world’s first fully in supply chain

Through Oxagon, Neom’s Chief Executive Officer Nadhmi Al Nasr stated, “The world’s perception of industrial hubs will undergo a fundamental transition

OXAGON will be a complete cognitive city with outstanding liveability for its citizens “..

ON

will create the ntegrated port and n ecosystem

“OXAGON will be the catalyst for economic growth and diversity in NEOM and the Kingdom, further meeting our ambitions under Vision 2030. OXAGON will contribute to redefining the world’s approach to industrial development in the future, protecting the environment while creating jobs and growth for NEOM.

It will contribute to Saudi Arabia’s regional trade and commerce, and support creating a new focal point for global trade flows. I am pleased to see that business and development have started on the ground and we look forward to the city’s rapid expansion.” said His Royal Highness, who is also the chairperson of Neom.

SEVEN SECTORS OF INNOVATION

Sustainable energy, autonomous mobility, water innovation, sustainable food production, health and well-being, technology and digital manufacturing (including

100% Clean Energy OXAGON Is Growing Rapidly

The net-zero city will be powered entirely by clean energy and will serve as a focal point for industry leaders seeking to pioneer change in order to build the innovative and sustainable factories of the future.

The net-zero city will be powered by 930 sustainable energy sources and will serve as a meeting place for industry leaders who want to lead the way in developing sophisticated and clean factories of the future.

The adoption of innovative technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), human-machine fusion, artificial and predictive intelligence, and robotics will be at the heart of OXAGON, which will be coupled with a network of fully automated distribution centres and autonomous last-mile delivery resources to drive NEOM’s ambitions of providing a seamless integrated, intelligent, and efficient supply chain.

NEXT-GEN AUTOMATED PORT AND SUPPLY CHAIN

y and Is Open For Business

The urban landscape of OXAGON will be made accessible to the communities by hydrogenpowered transportation. Sustainable industry will be constructed around communities, reducing commuting time and delivering great liveability by seamlessly integrating nature into the urban environment.

THE SEVENTH MOST

INFLUENTIAL

PROJECT

RDA is in charge of building the Riyadh Public Transit System, the first project of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

RIYADH METRO

Riyadh Development Authority (RDA), through the French design bureau Avant Premiere, and Siemens Mobility developed the interior and exterior design of the trains. The train design concept reflects the dynamism, elegance, and technological progress of Riyadh.

Riyadh Metro project represents a public transit system of 6 main lines covering 176 KM and 85

highly equipped stations with cuttingedge technology, which will offer you an outstanding experience during your trip around the city.

These 6 lines cover most of the highly populated districts, government’s facilities, educational and commercials outlets.

Stopping at two of the major junctionsKing Khaled International Airport and King Abdullah Financial District, it will stop over at the universities, the city centre and centre of Public Transit.

The trains are equipped for fully automated, driverless, and conductorless operation, with safety systems such as obstruction sensors at the end bogies and a fire detection system. Auxiliary driver’s control desks are equipped with convenient touchscreen displays and all necessary controls for train operation, at both ends of the train which can also be manually operated In case of emergency.

OFTHEFUTURE

STRETCHING BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES

When we talk about ‘workforce of the future’, first thing that might cross your mind may be the automation or artificial intelligence that’s changing the daily operations and impacting the workplaces.

That said, the dimension that we will be presenting here is slightly different. Our primary focus will be ‘People’ – the non-detachable part of any organization that if neglected will impact the organizational goals directly or indirectly.

Technology will remain the driving factor, however ‘workforce of the future’ is getting smarter over time and more knowledgeable than it used to be few years ago.

Major organizations have already begun getting to the nerve of this and changing the way the ‘People’ are lead, adapting approaches that were even applicable before the covid-19 pandemic but never put into practice at the same wavelength.

DRIVING THE TRANSFORMATION

Demand for Flexibility

Adam Ozimek who is the Chief Economist at Upwork - a well-known work marketplace that connects businesses with independent talent, in a report it published on September 29, 2021, says that “Remote work has become, what economists call, a general-purpose technology”. 53% of businesses say that remote work has increased their willingness to use freelancers – Key finding listed out in the same report.

This implies that more and more people are seeking for greater flexibility at their workplace. The ‘workforce of the future’ becomes more fluid demanding organizations to realize the need to offer freedom and flexibility to their resources, which potentially adds value to their business.

While you read this - change is already taking place and accelerating.

In fact, 67% of businesses reported that this has changed their long-term management practices altogether. The pandemic was temporary but the realization on how the work gets done, by both the employee and the employer, is broader and everlasting.

image credit: Getty

Naveed Hasan PPM and PMO Consultant

SEVEN TOWERS @KAFD

It was during the end of third quarter in 2020 that I was consulted by the CEO of an organization that deals in implementation services of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) products, to help in project management for one of their major projects based out of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

As described by the CEO, the project was in a challenging situation as my client was struggling to invoice any of the project milestone besides what they got as an advance to get started. It was a clear indication that things were not moving in the right direction.

Most executives during pre-sales sign the contract to grab the opportunity, nodding in agreement to all the contractual clauses with negligent attitude towards the terms laid therein.

Whilst I was analysing the contracts on this project, I discovered a clause which required the contractor to provide unlimited manpower on the project which for any company would be a huge challenge making it impossible for the project team to execute the project within the allocated budget. I then advised the CEO of this organization to renegotiate the contract with his client.

don't paint a rosy picture, Convey the reality

However, I decided to visit the project site to meet the project team and the project manager. It would be worth mentioning here that the project was to implement the ICT and BMS systems across the SEVEN TOWERS at King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD).

During the initial assessment I found that the project team was divided into seven groups, each responsible for their respective towers and disjoint. I am a people person and I want team members to communicate well, in terms of official work or otherwise.

On any project it is crucial that teams talk to each other which not only builds the connection among themselves but also helps the project reach its completion in an effective manner. The same was true for this project, the lack of effective communication. The rest of the issues for me at this point, were secondary. It took me Ten days to gather the team in a centralised location which I called the control room for the project, that proved to be the differentiator in steering the project into the right direction.

Further to this, the sponsor was being wrongly informed of the project with reality being hidden for some reason, status wrongly reported. My sincere advice to all the project managers out there'don't paint a rosy picture of the project, convey the reality, to get the problems resolved'.

There were several other challenges that were addressed, and it took three months for me to navigate things back to stability on this project which enabled my client organization to invoice all his work and get his millions.

The Differentiator

Effective communication is undoubtedly the key for any project success

Write to us your project success story info@projectleadersmagazine.com subject: 'my success story'