LIFE IS A PROJECT

 How do you achieve your desired project construction profit? That is a million dollar question.  Let me tell you my story from my 40 years of experience as a JKR, Consulting Engineer, Project Manager and G7 Contractor. Being there and done that. As JKR engineer, my job is not to make profit. My roles are a regulator and supervisor to ensure that consultant and the contractors are doing their job as agreed in the contract. At the same time, I represent the clients from other ministries and government departments and agencies. When I joined a property development company in 1984, I became a project engineer. The company sells houses and commercial properties. My job was to ensure the consultants and the contractor are doing their jobs as agreed. In 1989, I became a contractor as business owner and CEO.  This was where the real learning construction begins.  It is not just to manage project but also to secure new tenders andmake money. Both were not easy. After getting...

Ramadan as a Personal Project Fasting during the month of Ramadan is fardu ‘ain—a personal obligation—for every Muslim and Muslimah. While it returns every year like a familiar guest, I choose to embrace Ramadan not merely as a routine, but as a personal project—one that requires intention, planning, and reflection. Each Ramadan is unique. The act of fasting from dawn to dusk remains constant, but the spiritual journey, physical challenges, and emotional growth differ from year to year. By approaching Ramadan as a project, I begin with setting clear goals—goals for worship, personal development, and acts of kindness. I outline the activities I want to focus on: improving the quality of my prayers, deepening my relationship with the Qur’an, helping others, and refining my character. I monitor my progress weekly—not to be overly strict, but to stay mindful and consistent. This structure helps me remain focused and engaged throughout the month. InsyaAllah, by the end of Ramadan, I aim to ...

House Renovation: A Personal Project Renovating a house is one of the most personal and impactful projects anyone can undertake. For many of us, it becomes necessary once we buy our own home. In my case, I was fortunate—the house I purchased had been renovated less than two years before by the previous owner. Still, it wasn’t long before I found myself planning upgrades of my own. Some of my neighbours are passionate about home design and seem to renovate their homes every five years or so. I admire their enthusiasm, but my situation was different. At the time, most of my funds were tied up in building my business, and to make matters more complex, my office also needed renovation. Thankfully, house renovation isn’t rocket science—especially if you approach it like a project. I had a distinct advantage: I’m an engineer with over a decade of experience managing multimillion-ringgit projects. Compared to those, a home renovation is a relatively small-scale exercise. But what makes it spe...

Life is A Project #18: Business of Property Development From Government Engineer to Project Manager of Property Developer: My Personal Transformation During the 1980s, Malaysia experienced a significant construction and property boom. This period saw many of my peers in the engineering field leaving the government sector to join the private sector, either as employees in consultancy and construction firms or as business owners. It was a time of opportunity and bold decisions. I began my career with the Public Works Department (JKR) in 1976 under a government scholarship that required me to serve for ten years. However, in 1984, before fulfilling the full term of my contract, I made a life-changing decision: I resigned from government service, settled my contractual obligations, and joined a government-linked company (GLC) in the property development sector. That marked a major turning point in my career and, in many ways, my life. This move was more than a change of employer—it was the...

LIAP #17: Making a Photobook is a Project I got my first digital camera, the Olympus 750UZ, in late 2002. Before that, I wasn’t actively involved in photography. My earlier photos came from a film camera, and the process was straightforward but limited—I had to develop the film and manually insert the printed photographs into plastic photo albums. Those albums were the main way I preserved my memories. With the arrival of digital cameras, everything changed. I stopped printing photos as often because I could now view them instantly on my PC—and later, on my smartphone. Over time, especially through my cycling adventures and overseas travels, I accumulated more than 100,000 digital images, most of which I store and organize on Flickr. Occasionally, I still printed some of these digital images and arranged them in physical photo albums, much like the old days. The process was simple: select the best photos, get them printed at a local kedai gambar, and slide them into clear plastic sleev...

In 2018, I wan invited to give a two-day lecture for INCIEF Master Students. THe objective is to give basic knowledge of Project Management and how to use it in their jobs.I was told to use Learning By Doing methodology. To prepare and come out with a two-day on project management for students in finance is itself a project. To deliver the course is an operation because I repeat the same course for each group of students. This is no easy task. I need to know the requirement of the stakeholders-the university and the students and at the same time I need todig up from past experience to share my tacit knowledge to share and guide the students. The key thing is not limited to knowing the subject matter. It is more how , where and what to apply the knowledge. Herewith I share a draft of the contents. The real one is not for public disclosure. Project Management for Financial and Business Projects: A 2-Day Intensive 🧭 OVERALL COURSE GOALS:    •   Introduce project manage...

  About 25 years ago, my company was awarded a government project to replace six small bridges along JKR road. It is a small contract costing less than RM10m. As a project manager, you will undertake the planning of the construction by a normal process according PMBOK.  For me as the business owner of the company, my first priority how to maximise my project profit and finance the project. Both plannings are important-first the technical aspect and second the commercial aspect of the project. It is the two sides of one coin. How do I maximise my profit? First I do a work breakdown Structure(WBS) of the scope of work.  List all work packages according to margin of profits. Anything above 10% , do it yourself and sub-contact the rest to others. The major cost components are concrete beams and piles.  I took over the supplies and let my subcontractors do the installation work. About 60% goes to me and 40% to them. All minor works like access roads and temporary bridges ...

 27.05.2021 At KLCC on 25/12/2005 By the time we graduated from university, we must have taken at least five major examinations. Each is a project. We need to learn, prepare and sit for the examination. In my case, it began with Standard 6, LCE, MCE, HSC and Final Year Civil Engineering degree. How about to become a professional engineer? I got mine in 1984 and I retired in 2024- a 40 years period. To be admitted and registered as a professional engineer, I must have a degree, work for at least five years and passed an interview. I graduated in June 1976 and got my P. Eng in 1984. Phewww. My interest in radio began when I was young man in Sheffield doing my civil engineering degree in 1973-76.  I could not afford to buy a turntable and LPs to listen to music,so I bought a radio. In England, I was never short of radio stations to tunde in-listening to music,news and interviews. Way back in 2010, I met with a few friends who are amateur radio operartors. They are hams as a hobby...

  Replanting 10,000 acres of oil palm trees may sound ambitious, but for a plantation company with 25 years of experience, it’s not entirely new terrain. The company has seasoned managers and skilled staff to handle the operational aspects of such a project. What truly concerns the Board of Directors (BOD), however, are the financial implications and the business risks—both during the replanting phase and in the years that follow. In this case, replanting was not just an operational task, but a full-fledged business project. The first step was to prepare a comprehensive project brief to seek the formal approval of the CEO and the BOD. A well-prepared project brief answers three critical questions: the why, the how, and the what of the project. Why replant now? The trees in question were over 15 years old—well past their peak production years. Ideally, replanting should have been done in phases (e.g., 3,000 to 5,000 acres at a time) to minimize disruptions to cash flow and sales rev...

 25.5.2021 Flooded Sungai Kelantan at Tambatan D'Raja in Kota Bharu The biggest flood ever recorded in the last 50 years happened in December 2014. The flood displaced more than 202,000 people of Kelantan from their homes, and the damage caused was estimated to be about RM2.9 billion. That was BIG! Before this event, there were two major events that are most remembered by Kelantanese people. The 1927 is known as Bah Merah, and the 1967 is known as Bah Kuning. The names, I gathered, were derived from the colours of flood water. Personally, I experienced Bah Kuning when I was 15 years old. On my way home from SDAR Tanjung Malim, Perak, in December 1967, the Mail Train stopped at Palekbang. I took a boat to Kota Bharu and took a private taxi from KB to Cabang Empat Binjai. That was the furthest they could go. My father and my uncle accompanied me and we walked under two ot three feet of water to my father's friend's house at Banggu. We took turns carrying my bag. Then at 10pm,...

  Chot Street led the FJM Street Photowalk Raja Indera Putra leads the Scott Kelby Photowalk in Chow Kit/ Kg Baru Areas Putrajaya Photowalk led by Adib Noh 24.05.2021 PUTRAJAYA PHOTOWALK: A Journey of Photography, Friendship, and Project Management On 7th August 2012, I created a Facebook group called Putrajaya Photowalk. Why? It was my way of bringing together friends who shared a passion for photography. I wanted a simple and effective online platform to encourage sharing of ideas, knowledge, and experience—and more importantly, to make it easier to plan and organise our photowalks through better communication, interaction, and collaboration. Starting the Putrajaya Photowalk group was itself a project. Every photowalk we organise is a project. Managing the group and keeping the online activities alive, on the other hand, is an ongoing operation. It takes time, effort, and dedication—but I do it because I love photography, and I love the community that grows around it. The benefit...

  23.05.2021 About a year ago, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was engaged by the National Art Gallery (NAG) to develop and deliver its Young Art Entrepreneur Program—an initiative that began four years ago. The program aims to transform young artists, aged between 25 and 35, into thriving art entrepreneurs. Each year, 30 to 50 emerging artists are selected to participate. My role was to design the entire course framework, including the curriculum structure, teaching methods, engagement strategies, and both individual and group project assignments. Developing what I now call the “Transformation Package” became a full project in itself. Drawing from my business coaching experience under INSKEN and CEDAR, I conducted extensive research and consulted peers with experience in coaching SME entrepreneurs. I followed the standard project life cycle as outlined in the PMBOK: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing. To ensure the course materials ...