Modelware co-delivered a masterclass at the Global Project Management Forum (GPMF) 2026, held September 19 to 21, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The masterclass was titled Concurrent Engineering Programs: How Great Teams Design Complex Systems Together.

We were joined by Dr. Mustafa Hafizoglu, a Project Management Institute (PMI) veteran from Turkey, and Dr. Ahmad AlGhamdi, professor of systems engineering at the University of Jeddah. Together the session brought the program management and systems engineering perspectives that concurrent engineering lives on.

The session began with an overview of concurrent engineering: how great teams design complex systems together by working in parallel rather than in sequence, integrating early, and making trade-offs visible across disciplines.

Then the theory was put to the test. In a live simulation, participants stepped into the role of suppliers to a large aircraft OEM, competing to develop paper airplane prototypes. Each team had to procure materials, design, prototype, and test their proposed concept, then demonstrate it live. Teams had to respect the OEM's technical specifications and compete on performance, all within a fixed budget, while issuing press releases that kept investors betting on their stock.

Winners were declared in each category, followed by a discussion of lessons learned: what the simulation reveals about communication, integration, and decision making in real concurrent engineering programs.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Riyadh. Interested in concurrent engineering for your programs? Get in touch.