Mega construction projects in the Middle East are once again on the uptick. While many of these mega projects are government funded, there are some that are results of foreign investment.  Because of this, the construction industry across the Middle East is experiencing a marked resurgence & economic boom again. I am particularly intrigued by the new economic cities in Saudi being built under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah:

But these mega projects are not just happening in Saudi Arabia, they also include the  Al Maktoum International Airport, and the Abu Dhabi Islands. There is also an increased interest including tourism, health care, education and renewable energy (which I will be talking about in my next blog!)

In my continued fascination (okay, obsession) with learning about water desalination in the Middle East, I saw today that the Governor of Riyadh is launching a 1.6 Saudi Riyals water desal effort. What makes this one so interesting is that he has VERY AGGRESSIVELY planned the project, which is normally an 18-month time frame into a 6-month window.

I hope they have some amazing project managers who work well together, realize the importance of the project time-line and who speak-up when necessary to ensure that the project does not fail. I really hope that someone invests in Joseph Grenny's books/ CDs on "Silence Fails" before they start the project on April 6th!

I found this very interesting article by George Pitagorsky he states that "It is usually when the project is over or under managed that we have failures.  Common project management causes of failure are: