RMC Strategy Review & BTSS Workshop 2025: Two Days of Focused Reflection and Commitment

Posted on July 28, 2025 ·

On 28–29 July 2025, I had the opportunity to attend the Strategy Review and BTSS (Business Technical Support System) Workshop organized by the Research Management Centre (RMC), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). The workshop was held at Pulai Springs Resort, Johor, and was attended by RMC officers from various divisions and units.

This two-day workshop aimed to assess the implementation status of RMC’s strategic plans for 2025, propose key improvements, and realign the direction and reporting structure for RMC’s BTSS. The event was officiated by the Director of RMC, Prof. Dr. Zulkurnain Abdul Malek, who delivered an insightful address and shared the current strategic institutional focus.

More information and photos from RMC FB here.

The first day featured several key presentations on Blueprint@enVision 2025, KPI action plans, and strategic planning updates. Among the presenters were me myself, Associate Professor Dr. Ezza Syuhada Szazali, and Puan Mazlinda Wati Razli. The sessions included in-depth discussions on Process Evaluation, COI & Innovation Focus, and consolidation of insights from earlier sessions.

Day two focused on detailed BTSS entries by each unit, section, and division. Participants were divided into five major working groups representing the Project Funding Unit, Project Monitoring Unit, Documentation & Data Unit, and other key components within RMC. A central theme across these discussions was the need to reassess workload distribution, clarify scopes of responsibility, and streamline inter-unit coordination.

A major challenge highlighted was the lack of manpower, especially in two critical areas: the Project Funding Unit and the Project Monitoring Unit. With limited officers overseeing numerous proposals and ongoing projects, the workload has become unsustainable. The Double Tax Deduction (DTD) under the Profunds unit is also facing hurdles, not only due to limited personnel, but also a lack of technical expertise in managing industry collaboration tax incentives.

Despite these limitations, the workshop was a valuable platform for reflection, collaboration, and forward planning. I truly appreciate the candid discussions and collective spirit displayed by all participants. It’s encouraging to see such dedication in addressing structural and operational issues with the goal of making RMC more agile and impactful.

May the outcomes of this workshop translate into real, actionable strategies that elevate RMC’s role in supporting UTM’s research ecosystem.

Kudos to everyone involved!
#20242025 Day 028

#Monday

Filed Under: 1 Activity 1 Day, 10 Administrative, RMC Tagged With: , , , ,

Debriefing Meeting – PMMD and FD

Posted on July 14, 2025 ·
Examiners’ Report form for Qualifying Assessment to PhD

The last Debriefing Meeting I chaired was held in March 2025, during which Dr. Wan Hairul served as our Senior Research Manager (SRM). However, his tenure at the Research Management Centre (RMC) was short-lived, lasting only 40 days. Subsequently, Nur Fatimah Marwar took over the responsibilities. In line with recent organizational restructuring, we no longer use the title SRM; the role has since evolved into two separate leadership functions—Head of Profund Unit and Head of Promans Unit.

Now, four months later, we convened the next Debriefing Meeting, which marks a renewed commitment to holding these sessions regularly every month, InsyaAllah. Despite current manpower limitations, the Project Management and Monitoring Division (PMMD) continues to strive toward operational stability and effectiveness.

The Debriefing Meeting serves as a critical platform to:

-Discuss and resolve pressing issues faced by both PMMD and the Finance Department (FD).

-Align and synchronize work processes, particularly in areas of overlapping responsibilities, such as grant activation, fund disbursement, and reporting mechanisms.

Meeting Highlights – 8 July 2025:

  • Time: 2:30 PM – 4:50 PM
  • Venue: RMC’s BM1
  • Chaired by: Myself

This session proved to be particularly challenging and complex, with numerous issues tabled for discussion. Notably:

  • Two key issues require separate follow-up meetings due to the involvement of multiple stakeholders and the need for cross-unit consensus before a decision can be made.
  • Several other matters, however, were successfully deliberated and resolved, Alhamdulillah.

Despite the hurdles, the collaborative spirit between PMMD and FD was evident, and all parties demonstrated a shared commitment to improving workflows and service delivery.

As we move forward, these meetings will be instrumental in fostering a more responsive, accountable, and integrated research management ecosystem at UTM. Regular debriefings will not only improve efficiency but also enhance transparency and mutual understanding across divisions.

Other tasks of the day:

  • Endorsing several End Reports (ER)
  • Completing the Examiners Report form for Qualifying Assessment to PhD (MJIIT), for Engineering Education research —> Refer image above.
  • Brief meeting with my SPACE FYP student – Pik.
  • Dealt with various RMC issues (as usual).

#20242025 Day 014

#Monday

Filed Under: 1 Activity 1 Day, 10 Administrative, 2 Research, Meeting, Project Monitoring Tagged With: , , , ,

RMC Beban Tugas Staf Sokongan (BTSS) Workshop

Posted on July 2, 2025 ·

Today, for I am not sure how many times already, we conducted another BTSS workshop in RMC, from 9 am to 5 pm. The good thing is that we are almost there, which means we have practically finalized and adjusted the working hours of all RMC members to a more logical indication.

We are doing this to quantify and justify the working loads of our staff. The amount of tasks and responsibilities, as well as expectations given to us, versus the number of manpower that we have. InsyaAllah, we are doing our best to optimize and utilize all the resources we have, but there are still some areas that require human intervention to be executed.

#20242025 Day 002

Filed Under: 1 Activity 1 Day, 10 Administrative, RMC, Workshop Tagged With: , , , , , ,

New Challenge, New Responsibility

Posted on April 25, 2023 ·

I hope to give the best I can for UTM and the Ummah. I seek everyone’s cooperation and assistance in my new role. May Allah ease the work and process.

Effective on the 23rd of April 2023, I was appointed as the new Deputy Director of the Research Management Centre (RMC), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). I will be handling the Management and Monitoring of Projects portfolio.

It was very unfortunate that I can’t lead the Center for Engineering Education (CEE) anymore. However, I am still a CEE research fellow and will do my best as well to support and uplift Engineering Education to its peak.

Thanks to all CEE members and staff for all the support and help given during my tenure as UTM CEE Director for the past 2 years.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=793226755668438&id=100049433626434&mibextid=Nif5oz

Filed Under: 1 Academic, 10 Administrative Tagged With: , , , , ,

Day 321 Task – My Research Management

Posted on November 15, 2020 ·

I have various activities and tasks that I need to managed in all my research grants. There are things like payment for chemicals that my student purchase, adding supplementary documentations for claiming the ICCME2020 conference fee that I participated last month, managing to pay my research student allowances, appointment of my new graduate research assistant (GRA) student, payment of analysis fee carried out at Unit Perkhidmatan Makmal Universiti (UPMU) and few more.

I just need to ensure that I am managing it well. The money for research need to be utilized as best as we can for research purpose.

Read all my “1 Official Task Per Day Record Challenge for 2020” —> https://people.utm.my/zakiyamani/category/1-activity-1-day/ 

Filed Under: 2 Research Tagged With: , , ,