In September 2021, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the launch of a new methodology for government work. The new methodology focuses on short-term transformational projects, and seeks to accelerate achievements and define priorities, moving from the sole responsibility of ministries to the joint responsibility of taskforces, and changing government incentive systems to rewarding teams with outstanding performance. The new methodology is based on five main pillars, namely:
- First: Government work in the coming phase will be led by major transformational projects and not long-term strategic plans.
- Second: The next cycles of change will be agile and fast 6 months to 2 years, unlike the previous strategic cycles, which used to range from 5 to 10 years.
- Third: Priorities will be defined for each sector, followed by launching clear transformational projects. Ministerial taskforces will be formed to implement these projects, relying on national subject-matter experts and change mechanisms to determine new government priorities.
- Fourth: Moving from the central responsibility of the ministries to the joint responsibility of the taskforces. Contracts will be signed with the taskforces to implement these projects and will be followed up on by the Cabinet.
- Fifth: Incentives and promotions will be decided based on the performance of the taskforces and their ability to implement the transformational projects approved by the UAE Cabinet and achieve integration and coordination among themselves.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum issued directives to all federal government entities and ministries to adhere to the new methodology while setting priorities, managing resources and budgets, and leading the government development process.
In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE government organized a number of sessions to discuss major transformational projects with the aim of supporting the efforts of ministries and federal government entities in setting plans, identifying and proposing transformational projects in vital sectors, and linking them to national priorities, positively impacting the society's wellbeing and the governments readiness for the future.
In July 2022, the UAE government announced the conclusion of 8 performance agreements for transformational projects in federal entities, aiming to implement national priorities and achieve the requirements of the next phase of development in the UAE. The joint taskforces will work on implementing the first batch of transformational projects within 6 months - 1 year, in line with the directives of the UAE's leadership and the goals set by the new methodology, which focuses on implementing major transformational projects within short time frames to make significant leaps in all fields and build the best dynamic economy in the world, thus enhancing the competitiveness of the UAE and promoting the society's wellbeing. The implementation of the projects will be monitored and periodically evaluated to ensure achieving the objectives of the new government methodology and enhance the UAE's global leadership in vital, human-centered sectors, where outcomes will be evaluated through the government performance evaluation system.