An executive roundtable to discuss key issues in process and information management in the construction and real estate sector has been organised by SAP, the world’s leading provider of business software.

With rapid growth in the Middle East’s construction and real estate sector, companies are looking to maximise efficiency and cope with the challenges of managing their operations in line with the pace of expansion.

The event, held today (June 11) was themed, “Gaining Competitive Advantage through IT-Enabled Performance.”

“A boom in any industry comes with its benefits as well as challenges, and that’s what the Middle East construction and real estate sector is experiencing today. To cope with these challenges, companies require sound IT-enabled systems to ensure efficient cost control, as well as high levels of efficiency in project resource management, change management and human resources management,” said SAP Middle East and Africa managing director Sergio Maccotta.

Members of the roundtable panel were drawn from global leaders in IT, construction and real estate. It discussed priority issues that provided insight into challenges of the Middle East construction industry like procurement optimisation, financial performance (monitoring cash returns), project stakeholder management, project feasibility analysis, as well as maximising compliance with local and global regulations.

The event was moderated by director of the Research Institute for the Built and Human Environment, University of Salford Professor Mustafa Alshawi, who is also a consultant to the World Bank and an accomplished author. He is also the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Construction Innovation: Information Process Management. – TradeArabia News Service