– A revisit of ‘Dubai We Learn’ Exemplar Benchmarking Projects –

By Professor Dotun Adebanjo and Dr Robin Mann

The great appeal of benchmarking is its ability to enable organisations to identify best practices from other organisations and adopt or adapt those practices to improve performance. The benchmarking process itself can be both demanding and exciting as the benchmarking team seeks to understand their organisation’s performance; identify, shortlist and visit benchmarking partners; determine the most suitable best practices; and work with internal (and sometimes external) stakeholders to implement the best practices.

Although many aspects of the benchmarking process can be underpinned or driven by prescriptive guidelines and also managed along pre-determined timelines, the implementation of best practices is less amenable to prescriptiveness and time limitation. This is principally because the numbers, nature, scope and ease of implementation will vary significantly with the type of project and particulars of the organisation. Indeed, where many best practices are selected for implementation, it may be necessary and beneficial to implement the practices in stages or batches. It is also important to note that the benchmarking process does not end with the identification of best practices or indeed their implementation, it is also necessary to evaluate if the desired outcomes have been achieved and if not, to understand why and refine the practices as necessary.

With this in mind, we returned to a sweltering Dubai in August 2019, 15 months after the completion of the second round of ‘Dubai We Learn’ (DWL) to visit three exemplar ‘7 Stars’ projects. ‘Dubai We Learn’ is an initiative of the Dubai Government Excellence Programme (DGEP) in collaboration with the Centre for Organisational Excellence Research (COER) based at Massey University New Zealand. The second round of ‘Dubai We Learn’ benchmarking projects consisted of 11 projects in different Dubai Government entities and took place between March 2017 and April 2018. Details of the 11 projects and their achievements by April 2018 are available in an e-book (to be published soon). Three of the eleven benchmarking projects were 7 stars for benchmarking proficiency based on the TRADE Benchmarking Methodology that was adopted to drive the DWL projects.

So, 15 months on, how have Dubai Government Human Resources (DGHR), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and Dubai Police fared with their respective projects.

Case No. 3 – Dubai Police
The Dubai Police project was entitled, ‘Call of Duty: Police Edition – Best practices in vehicle fleet maintenance’. The aim of the project was to ‘To find and implement best practices in vehicle fleet maintenance to improve vehicle availability and labour productivity of the Dubai Police Mechanical Department to world class levels. The target was to increase labour productivity from 40% to 70% and increase vehicle availability from 88% to 95%.’ At the formal close of the benchmarking project in April 2018, the Dubai Police benchmarking team had identified 86 best practice ideas from benchmarking visits to 9 organisations and desktop research. Of the 86 best practices, 14 were approved for deployment.
At the formal close of the benchmarking project in April 2018, the Dubai Police benchmarking team had achieved an increase in productivity from 40% to 72% and vehicle availability from 88% to 95% (Aug-2017 to Mar-2018) saving 14 million AED. There had also been an increase in average actual hours working on job tasks of each mechanic from 2.4 hours per day to 5 hours per day and a reduced average repair time per task by at least 5%. Dubai Police have produced a video of their involvement and achievements in the second round of ‘Dubai We Learn’ projects and this can be found here:

What has happened since then?

Dubai Police had met its key targets by April 2018. The purpose of our visit was to understand if they had maintained their achievements or built on them. Well, we were not disappointed. Dubai Police had not only maintained its performance levels, they had sought new ways to improve the maintenance of their fleet vehicles. In particular they had streamlined the delivery of parts and particularly high value parts. This had been achieved by working in partnership with parts suppliers and it meant that stock was now better managed to meet high demands and short lead-times. In addition, Dubai Police had also started to work more closely with agents from different car companies who are now based in the Dubai police workshop to work on the fleet vehicles to improve performance. KPIs per task have been set for the agents in order to improve efficiency. This has meant that Dubai Police technicians are now better able to concentrate on other maintenance tasks by having them removed from generic tasks such as tyre changing. Productivity and hours on repair jobs continue to be measured and monitored.

Perhaps the most important outcome of Dubai Police’s involvement in the ‘Dubai We Learn’ initiative is the acceptance and widespread deployment of benchmarking and improvement activities based on the TRADE methodology. All departments and sections of Dubai Police are now set KPIs linked to benchmarking improvement. At the time of our visit, there were 254 live improvement projects throughout Dubai Police that were based on the tools and methodologies of TRADE. The departments and sections are encouraged to apply desktop benchmarking in their search for best practices. The management of the roll out of benchmarking across Dubai Police is managed by the Quality Department. In order to promote involvement and improve benchmarking skills and capabilities, Dubai Police held a 4-day TRADE seminar for 1000 police officers. The performance of the departments and sections of Dubai Police against the KPIs set are monitored on an annual basis and there is a General Commander Award for the best performers.

The commitment of Dubai Police to continual improvement and the use of benchmarking as an improvement tool has led to significant external recognition of their performance and achievement. Further to the seven stars recognition at the end of the second round of the ‘Dubai We Learn’ initiative, Dubai Police’s project has been recognised at multiple awards:

• Dubai Quality Group – First Place;
• International Best Practice Award – Second Place;
• Innovation Arabia – First Place;
• Global Benchmarking Award – Second Place:
• Commander Group – First Place
• Knowledge Sharing Competition – First Place
• Dubai Police Club – Shortlisted (awaiting final position)
• Expo 2020 Global Best Practice Competition (awaiting final position)

With Dubai Police’s strong commitment to benchmarking Dubai citizens can be assured that they are in the safe hands of a progressive Police Force. In the future, more awards and international recognition is likely to follow especially as some of the team members from this project are now serving as mentors for another Dubai Police team that are participating in the 3rd Cycle of Dubai We Learn on a project titled “Airport Secure Luggage (Safe Bags)”. This new project aims to find and implement best practices in airport baggage security to enhance efficiency and operational capacity of the inspection process at Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central by Expo 2020. With 56 million bags handled and secured in 2018, Dubai Police are looking forward to another very successful project that will showcase their professionalism and leading-edge practices to the rest of the world.

Read the other case studies, Dubai Government Human Resources (DGHR) and Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

For more information on Dubai We Learn contact:

Dr. Zeyad Mohammad El Kahlout, Senior Quality and Excellence Advisor, Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP). Email: Zeyad.ElKahlout@tec.gov.ae

By Dr. Almas Tazein, BPIR.com Limited, COER

Continuing with its legacy of fostering excellence and imbibing a culture of organisational learning within the Government of Dubai, the Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP) in co-operation with the Center for Organizational Excellence Research (COER), New Zealand completed the 2nd Cycle of the Dubai We Learn Excellence Makers Program in 2018. Back then, 11 Dubai Government entities embarked on a journey towards newer horizons, which enabled them to be more resilient and agile in experimenting with and adopting efficacious strategies and best practices from around the world.

Today, DGEP and COER are delighted to announce the release of their 2nd book together describing the 11 success stories and describing how each project team used the TRADE Benchmarking Methodology. The book is titled, “Achieving Performance Excellence Through Benchmarking and Organisational Learning”

Today, is the soft launch of the electronic version of the book. The official launch of the book will stimulatingly coincide with the Final Knowledge Sharing Summit for the 3rd Cycle of Dubai We Learn 2019 that will be held on 22 December 2019. The formal launch will be attended by all the Dubai Government teams, officials, sponsors and key stakeholders in the honorable attendance of the Secretary General of The Executive Council, Dubai.

Where achieving 3-4 Stars and reaching TRADE Benchmarking Proficiency is a challenging task within a one-year timeframe, the book summarizes the secrets of how each of the 11 teams managed to reach up to the 3 to 7-Stars of governance par excellence. The book epitomizes an idealized step-wise implementation of TRADE methodology, depicting structure, purpose and performance.

The book unravels the 2nd cycle of Dubai We Learn’s Excellence Makers Program from a knowledge-sharing perspective, where the reader will be exposed to a plethora of information in the field of public service and systematic benchmarking system. In order to spark a desire to learn from the challenges faced by the Dubai government entities, to showcase the principles and best practices that drove positive organisational change, to inculcate creativity and innovation within the teams, and to encourage the emulation of their success stories, the book speaks of the:

• Key Achievements of each of the 11 benchmarking project teams
• Project benefits classified into financial, customer/citizen, human resource, and process benefits
• Lessons learnt and highlights from the TRADE Benchmarking Methodology
• Importance of Leadership, Teamwork, and Change Management
• Key factors integral to the success of the benchmarking projects during each of the T-R-A-D-E Stages.

This book will make you think, it will make you question the status quo, and for sure, it will inspire you.

Click here to download the book.

Presentation video clips from each of the benchmarking projects are available in BPIR.com’s Award Winner Reports section. Join BPIR.com to access the reports and many other features.

For more information on Dubai We Learn contact:

Dr. Zeyad Mohammad El Kahlout, Senior Quality and Excellence Advisor, Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP). Email: Zeyad.ElKahlout@tec.gov.ae
 
 
 
Or contact Dr Robin Mann to learn more about the TRADE Best Practice Benchmarking Methodology, r.s.mann@massey.ac.nz

– A revisit of ‘Dubai We Learn’ Exemplar Benchmarking Projects –

By Professor Dotun Adebanjo and Dr Robin Mann

The great appeal of benchmarking is its ability to enable organisations to identify best practices from other organisations and adopt or adapt those practices to improve performance. The benchmarking process itself can be both demanding and exciting as the benchmarking team seeks to understand their organisation’s performance; identify, shortlist and visit benchmarking partners; determine the most suitable best practices; and work with internal (and sometimes external) stakeholders to implement the best practices.

Although many aspects of the benchmarking process can be underpinned or driven by prescriptive guidelines and also managed along pre-determined timelines, the implementation of best practices is less amenable to prescriptiveness and time limitation. This is principally because the numbers, nature, scope and ease of implementation will vary significantly with the type of project and particulars of the organisation. Indeed, where many best practices are selected for implementation, it may be necessary and beneficial to implement the practices in stages or batches. It is also important to note that the benchmarking process does not end with the identification of best practices or indeed their implementation, it is also necessary to evaluate if the desired outcomes have been achieved and if not, to understand why and refine the practices as necessary.

With this in mind, we returned to a sweltering Dubai in August 2019, 15 months after the completion of the second round of ‘Dubai We Learn’ (DWL) to visit three exemplar ‘7 Stars’ projects. ‘Dubai We Learn’ is an initiative of the Dubai Government Excellence Programme (DGEP) in collaboration with the Centre for Organisational Excellence Research (COER) based at Massey University New Zealand. The second round of ‘Dubai We Learn’ benchmarking projects consisted of 11 projects in different Dubai Government entities and took place between March 2017 and April 2018. Details of the 11 projects and their achievements by April 2018 are available in an e-book (to be published soon). Three of the eleven benchmarking projects were 7 stars for benchmarking proficiency based on the TRADE Benchmarking Methodology that was adopted to drive the DWL projects.

So, 15 months on, how have Dubai Government Human Resources (DGHR), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and Dubai Police fared with their respective projects.

Case No. 2 – Dubai Health Authority (DHA)
The DHA project was entitled, “Prevention better than Cure / Innovative Prevention Program to Combat Diabetes”. The primary aim of the project was to ‘develop and start implementing a Dubai diabetes prevention framework based on worldwide best practices within one-year (2017) and reduce the pre-diabetic population of 356,460 adults by at least 10% by 2021.’ At the formal close of the benchmarking project in April 2018, the DHA benchmarking team had identified 114 best practice ideas from several sources including benchmarking visits to 4 organisations, desktop research and telephone-based benchmarking discussions. Of the 114, best practices, 14 were approved for deployment.

The primary achievement of the DHA Benchmarking Team was the development of a Dubai Diabetes Prevention Framework consisting of 5 key dimensions:

• Promoting Healthy Lifestyle
• Early screening on DM and risk factors
• Creative and innovative Sustainable Interventions
• Supportive health system and partnership
• Enforcement of non-communicable diseases policy

By April 2018 DHA had successfully carried out diabetes screening of 22,222 Dubai residents in 12 health centres as well as the completion of the pilot phase of a Happiness Prescription Program with 43 participants. The program focussed on people at risk of diabetes using combinations of a comprehensive health survey, nutrition and health education and support, and various fitness classes. To underpin the roll out of the Happiness Prescription Program, DHA started the first phase of the ‘Hayati’ smart application with the focus of the first phase being a diabetes prevention risk assessment survey. In addition, DHA established two lifestyle clinics and developed a non-communicable disease policy for approval by Dubai’s Executive Council. DHA also carried out more awareness campaigns which engaged with 47,303 people i

What has happened since then?

Firstly, it was pleasing to hear that the Dubai Diabetes Prevention Framework is continuing to be used to lead and manage an integrated approach to tackling diabetes in Dubai – this continues to be the prime value of the Dubai We Learn project. This unified approach, consisting of many initiatives by different stakeholders, enables DHA to have a larger impact on diabetes than it would otherwise be able to if it worked in isolation.

The two lifestyle clinics are now firmly established and operating sustainably and with the ability to cover all regions of Dubai. By the end of 2018, the lifestyle clinics had treated 158 residents (increased from 43 treated during the pilot phase) and DHA has been working with various organisations to increase awareness of the lifestyle clinics to encourage more referrals. More than 70% of patients lost weight and reduced their risk of developing diabetes. Members of the benchmarking team continue to manage the operations of the clinics. More lifestyle clinics are planned for the future.

Early screening activities have also become firmly established in Dubai’s health centres. To enable maximum engagement, diabetes screening has become routine as it is part of national periodic check-up and doctors in Dubai’s Primary Health Centres all have to screen patients 18 years and above. 58% of targeted clients had already been screened by the end of 2018.

The development of the ‘Hayati’ prevention application has also moved on from the first phase. The app now has full functionality to assess and refer patients, and will soon be able to follow their daily activities and facilitate the management of activities such as sporting activities and food consumption habits. The policy on non-communicable diseases (NCD) has been approved by the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the Executive Council of Dubai. Implementation of the policy will be completed by 2021. An innovative aspect of the policy will be the use of technology by way of a ‘Telemedicine Doctor’ to improve access of Dubai residents to medical personnel. This one-to-one telemedicine facility will be launched in September 2019. The ownership of NCD has also changed and transferred to the Public Health Department.

Hayati App for managing diabetes available from Google Play

Major strides have been achieved with respect to awareness campaigns and engagement with the public. In partnership with Dubai Government and staff from various department and entities, Dubai Sports World was organised for the summer of 2018 and continues today. Many sports are available in one pro-standard air-conditioned area to encourage Dubai Government staff to participate in different activities to increase their fitness. DHA also participates in the Dubai Fitness challenge (DFC) launched in 2017 by the Dubai Government. DFC encourages all residents of Dubai to engage in 30 minutes of sporting activities over 30 days (30/30). This initiative increases awareness of risk factors of chronic diseases and helps people to start a healthy lifestyle.

A wider campaign to improve the health of Dubai residents and reduce diabetes risk factors is also being led by the Public Health Department. This includes a campaign in Dubai public schools to increase time allocated for sporting activities while also launching a ‘Dubai Olympics’ challenge for the public schools. Awareness campaigns have also been carried out in Dubai Government organisations and are being rolled out to private organisations.

Away from the implementation of the project outcomes, the DHA Benchmarking Team continues to promote the use of benchmarking as an improvement technique and have been sharing their knowledge and experiences with a benchmarking team from the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services (DCAS) and were planning on the same day that we visited them to share their learning with a new DHA benchmarking team set up to increase the Survival Rate of Post-Cardiac Arrest from 5% to 20% by the year 2020. For information on this new project click here.

The DHA team are quietly confident that through the Dubai Diabetes Prevention Framework they are on track to meet their ambitious project aim of reducing the pre-diabetic population by at least 10% by 2021. The team believe that without undertaking the Dubai We Learn project it was unlikely that a Dubai Diabetes Prevention Framework would have been developed and DHA’s focus on diabetes prevention would have primarily focussed on the initiatives that it had control of rather than developing a multi-faceted and unified Dubai-wide approach. With the framework they know it will still be a challenge to meet the project’s aim as trends have been indicating higher levels of diabetes in the future and so the trend needs to plateau and reverse. However, with the framework they are steadily making progress and are on track to succeed. This indeed will be a major achievement not only in terms of the health benefits for the 300,000 plus at-risk group but also for their families and the Dubai population as a whole as it embraces a healthier lifestyle.

Read the other case studies, Dubai Government Human Resources (DGHR) and Dubai Police.

For more information on Dubai We Learn contact:

Dr. Zeyad Mohammad El Kahlout, Senior Quality and Excellence Advisor, Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP). Email: Zeyad.ElKahlout@tec.gov.ae

– A revisit of ‘Dubai We Learn’ Exemplar Benchmarking Projects –

By Professor Dotun Adebanjo and Dr Robin Mann

The great appeal of benchmarking is its ability to enable organisations to identify best practices from other organisations and adopt or adapt those practices to improve performance. The benchmarking process itself can be both demanding and exciting as the benchmarking team seeks to understand their organisation’s performance; identify, shortlist and visit benchmarking partners; determine the most suitable best practices; and work with internal (and sometimes external) stakeholders to implement the best practices.

Although many aspects of the benchmarking process can be underpinned or driven by prescriptive guidelines and also managed along pre-determined timelines, the implementation of best practices is less amenable to prescriptiveness and time limitation. This is principally because the numbers, nature, scope and ease of implementation will vary significantly with the type of project and particulars of the organisation. Indeed, where many best practices are selected for implementation, it may be necessary and beneficial to implement the practices in stages or batches. It is also important to note that the benchmarking process does not end with the identification of best practices or indeed their implementation, it is also necessary to evaluate if the desired outcomes have been achieved and if not, to understand why and refine the practices as necessary.

With this in mind, we returned to a sweltering Dubai in August 2019, 15 months after the completion of the second round of ‘Dubai We Learn’ (DWL) to visit three exemplar ‘7 Stars’ projects. ‘Dubai We Learn’ is an initiative of the Dubai Government Excellence Programme (DGEP) in collaboration with the Centre for Organisational Excellence Research (COER) based at Massey University New Zealand. The second round of ‘Dubai We Learn’ benchmarking projects consisted of 11 projects in different Dubai Government entities and took place between March 2017 and April 2018. Details of the 11 projects and their achievements by April 2018 are available in an e-book (to be published soon). Three of the eleven benchmarking projects were 7 stars for benchmarking proficiency based on the TRADE Benchmarking Methodology that was adopted to drive the DWL projects.

So, 15 months on, how have Dubai Government Human Resources (DGHR), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and Dubai Police fared with their respective projects.

Case Study No. 1 – Dubai Government Human Resources (DGHR)
The DGHR project was entitled, ‘Launching a Dubai Government HR Think Tank’ The aim of the project was to launch a ‘Dubai Government Human Resources (HR) Think Tank for HR future shaping, research driven decision making and pioneering HR’s role for Dubai Government.’ At the formal close of the benchmarking project in April 2018, the DGHR benchmarking team had identified 87 best practice ideas from several sources including benchmarking visits to 9 organisations and desktop research. Of the 87 best practices, 63 were approved for deployment.

The primary achievement of the DGHR Benchmarking Team by April 2018 was the development and widespread stakeholder agreement of a Blueprint for a Dubai Government HR Think Tank to shape the future of HR within Dubai. The Blueprint consisted of a 73-page document describing in detail the purpose, structure, services and operating model of the Think Tank. The vision of the Think Tank was initially set as “Pioneering HR for the world” with three prime services; research, smart library and consulting services.

The Dubai Government HR Think Tank has now formally started. It is continuing to follow a 5-phased approach, as identified in its initial Blueprint, to build its capabilities and services. It currently offers two main services – Research and Implementation. At present, the services are offered ‘internally’ to DGHR staff with plans afoot to offer the services to other Dubai Government entities as the Think Tank improves its capacity and capabilities.

Between April 2018 and our visit in August 2019, two projects had been launched by the Think Tank. The first project was a research study on Employee Performance Management Systems. The objective of this study was to understand current EPMS practices, their perception across Dubai Government workforce, challenges in implementation and degree of variation. To enable this study, DGHR collaborated with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) to conduct a multipronged study encompassing literature review, survey, focused group interviews and CEO interviews. Covering 46 entities across Dubai Government, this robust research considered diverse perspectives of Dubai government workforce including line managers, heads of sections and directors, and top management. Based on their input, a number of common challenges were identified and actionable recommendations were proposed.

The second project was a HR Benchmarking Study. This project was initiated based on the understanding that the HR function is an important partner in implementing the ambitious strategic agenda of Dubai in supporting businesses. This strategic agenda requires HR to be advanced, efficient and progressive. However, most of the HR departments in Dubai’s public sector struggle in defining standards for HR services. This study enabled DGHR to collect data across Dubai (including Dubai Government, semi Government and private entities) and internationally. The study facilitated the identification of superior HR practices and the transfer and sharing of these practices across all participating entities. DGHR intends to repeat this project on regular basis and build on the participation and partnership of both public and private sector entities.

New research for 2020 is being planned with one project on the Work Environment and a second project on Return on Investment (ROI) for HR projects. The primary aim of the ROI project will be to investigate high profile HR projects to understand how much value was invested in the projects and compare this with the tangible value realised at the end of the project.

In its relatively short time in existence, the Think Tank has identified a huge appetite among Dubai Government entities for best practices in HR management. In order to improve dissemination of its research findings, the Think Tank will be launching a HR platform and portal in 2020. The primary purpose of this will be the reporting of HR information and sharing of best practices. In addition, the Think Tank will be publishing a HR Bulletin for sharing through social media. From October 2019, the Bulletin will start to disseminate soundbites on Performance Management and HR in general based on the findings from the two projects.

The experience of undertaking a benchmarking project and the use of a prescriptive approach espoused by the TRADE Methodology has been beneficial as the skills learnt have been very useful in delivering the projects completed so far.

It was evident throughout our meeting with the DGHR team that they continue to be excited and energised about their project and how the Dubai Government HR Think Tank will shape the future of HR within Dubai. From the work conducted so far, there is every reason to think that the Think Tank will succeed in its vision of “Pioneering HR for the world!”

Read the other case studies, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Dubai Police.

For more information on Dubai We Learn contact:

Dr. Zeyad Mohammad El Kahlout, Senior Quality and Excellence Advisor, Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP). Email: Zeyad.ElKahlout@tec.gov.ae

We cannot cherry pick pleasant times – certainly not when we are operating the gigantic machinery called public service and governance. It can sometimes open a Pandora’s box of unpredictable internal complexities. Hence, there are programs like Dubai We Learn – Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP) that can safely anchor the government authorities to their organisational mission. And, the Community Development Authority (CDA) is one inspiring story to tell.

An external evaluation conducted by the Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP) at the Community Development Authority showed a downward spiral in the employee experiential domains – employee happiness, employee satisfaction, sense of harmony, and commitment & loyalty. The results steadily moved south in 2016-2017-2018. The areas of concern were HR Department & procedures, leadership style, work environment, and issues related to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), motivation, appreciation and incentives.

But the CDA is determined to swim against the tide and take the horse by its reins!

CDA’s Enabling Happiness initiative is one of 11 aspiring Dubai Government’s transformation management projects. The Enabling Happiness project wishes to identify and implement best practices that engage, empower, and enlighten employees leading to elevated levels of employee happiness, loyalty, motivation, communication, innovation and productivity.

On Tuesday 30 July 2019, The Center for Organisational Excellence Research (COER) Team which is facilitating the 11 Dubai We Learn project initiatives alongside DGEP, visited CDA to evaluate the progress of the project. The project had started in February 2019.

Mr. Ahmad Mofleh Al Gharaibeh, Director General Advisor, Institutional Processes & Services Excellence, CDA shared the early measures taken to combat the situation and this was impressive!

The CDA decided to positively strengthen the demotivated personnel by engaging in QUICK WINS over the past two months (for Q1 & Q2). The happiness restoration method includes a number of initiatives – three exciting initiatives to motivate the employees, four types of communication channels were designed to promote team solidarity & amiability, and measures taken to fortify training, development & rewards.

During the meeting, Dr. Robin Mann, Director, COER emphasized that, in order to trace the impact of the initiatives it is important to compare the past and the present evaluations, taking into account measures such as employee turnover rate, absenteeism, sickness days and employee grievances. To have factual figures on whether they have produced the desired or near-desired outcomes is only practical. This will prove to be of substantial significance in the further decision-making of the improvement process at CDA; and ensure that the Human Resource Department’s role will be far-reaching.

Currently, CDA is in the AQUIRE Stage of the TRADE Benchmarking Methodology, which is the operational framework for Dubai We Learn initiatives. The COER team members further recommended some best practices that the CDA can explore to enrich their employee camaraderie & communication. Further, Mr. Ahmad, CDA, presented the outcomes of their successful benchmarking meetings with Dubai Courts, Dubai KHDA and Dubai Statistics Center to learn their approaches in employee engagement and motivation. He also expressed CDA’s plans of carrying out regular meetings with the Director General, Sponsors, Section Managers and other team members to ensure maximum stakeholder participation and involvement.

In the next DEPLOY Stage – TRADE methodology, CDA is expecting greater involvement from the HR Department to enhance the success quotient of the entire project. In this phase, their objective is to target leading initiatives in governance, empowerment, policy & procedures, and leadership programs.

Dr. Robin Mann reinforced that, after the REVIEW Stage of TRADE, common challenges/issues should be categorized and prioritized and then CDA should decide how many of them to tackle as part of the benchmarking project. Following on from this, if CDA identified 5 major issues to address then best practices for each of them should be sought in the AQUIRE stage of TRADE, therefore the REVIEW and ACQUIRE stage should be connected. He also emphasized that a Roadmap for the next one to two years should be developed once the ACQUIRE stage was completed. Based on CDA’s time-plan this could be developed by the end of October 2019 and signed off by the Project Sponsor.

The COER team met Mr. Ahmad Julfar, Director General, CDA. He shared his vision of successfully developing a robust people-centric CDA to fulfil its mission of developing social services in alignment with the Dubai Government’s goals of attaining sustainable development and a cohesive happy society that enhances their National identity and strengthens empowerment and community engagement.

The CDA-Enabling Happiness project is on track to rise and shine to outsmart all the challenges witnessed. CDA’s commitment and progress is indication enough that the final portrait of this team’s picture will be celebratory!

For more information on Dubai We Learn contact:

Dr. Zeyad Mohammad El Kahlout, Senior Quality and Excellence Advisor, Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP). Email: Zeyad.ElKahlout@tec.gov.ae