Book Chapter by Wittenborg Professor Discusses Sustainable Project Management

02.09.2024

Work Co-authored by Gilbert Silvius Highlights Need for Holistic Approach to Sustainability

In 2024, ‘Earth Overshoot Day’, which marks the day when all resources Earth can provide in an entire year are exhausted, fell on 1 August, one day earlier than in 2023. The consumption of resources exceeds our planet’s natural regenerative capacity, with humanity using the resources of approximately 1.7 Earths per year. In light of this situation, organisations have paid increasing attention to sustainability, and this is poised to greatly impact the way they manage their projects. To shed light on these processes, Wittenborg professor Gilbert Silvius co-wrote the chapter ‘Sustainable Project Management’ in ‘The Handbook of Project Management’, recently published by the Taylor & Francis Group.

Co-authored by sustainability expert Ron Schipper and Martina Huemann, from University College London, the work focuses on the sustainability of project delivery and management processes, which is one of the most important global project management trends today. The authors highlight that this approach is innovative compared to previous studies.

“Our work distinguishes ‘Sustainability by the project’ – the sustainability of the project’s output and outcome – from ‘Sustainability of the project’, the sustainability of the project’s delivery and management processes. Sustainability by the project is well studied and addressed, for example in the fields of eco-design and ‘green’ construction. Sustainability of the project is less established in literature but is one of the most important global project management trends today. It is a new school of thought,” Silvius says.

According to the chapter, the sustainable management of projects is directly connected to the concept of sustainable development. Established in 1987 by the Brundtland Report, it is understood as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This, however, does not only concern natural resources, and the later-developed ‘Triple Bottom Line’ perspective (People – Planet – Profit), it also addresses the social and economic aspects of sustainability.

Adoption of sustainability by organisations

An important step towards sustainable development has been the emergence of circular economy strategies, which aim to realise resource minimisation and the adoption of cleaner technologies by promoting the benefits of recycling residual waste materials and by-products.

However, the authors underline that sustainable development is a shared responsibility between authorities, companies and consumers, which can only be realised in cooperation. In the 1990s, the concept of sustainable development started being linked to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices, which regard the responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behaviour.

“The interests of all stakeholders should be embraced by the organisation and win-win situations should be sought. Stakeholder orientation is therefore also an inevitable concept of an organisation’s role in, and responsibility for, sustainable development. Moreover, sustainability is a value-based concept, reflecting values and ethical considerations of society, and its integration into business decisions and actions should go beyond being compliant with legal obligations. The ethical dimension is an inseparable aspect of CSR,” Silvius points out.

Integrating sustainability into project management

The professor explains that considering sustainability implies a scope shift in project management: from focusing on managing the iron triangle (time, budget and scope), to managing social, environmental and economic value creation. This shift inevitably requires a broader consideration of the project and its context, both in terms of time and spatial boundaries.

“While it can be argued that the integration of sustainability increases the complexity of a project, one can also argue that the broadened scope of consideration evidences the already existing complexity that a project is in. This is because its social and time-related contexts are comprehensively considered and not ignored. Often projects still fail, because the management is primarily focused on delivering the project’s output fast, which simplifies tasks and underestimates the social complexity that results from diverse interests of stakeholders,” he comments.

Reflecting the socioeconomic and organisational changes concerning sustainability, professional standards of project management have recently started to include indicators and references to sustainability. Additionally, they now consider the effects of a project’s processes and deliverables on the environment and society.

Scholars have also delved into the integration of sustainability into project management, with recent academic studies identifying a large number of ‘impact areas’ involving the interconnection between these concepts.

When integrating sustainability and project management, organisations need to take several factors into account, such as the identification of benefits and costs, the importance of stakeholder participation in projects, and a broader and more comprehensive assessment of the potential risks of a project.

Other significant aspects include the need for a holistic approach to project management, the focus on sustainable resources management (including the quality of working conditions for staff) and the relevance of reporting the project’s development and learning lessons from it.

It is also crucial to use appropriate instruments for tracking the development of the project, but although various methods exist for this purpose, no consensus has been reached yet on how to measure and assess sustainability.

Silvius underlines that the adoption of sustainable project management requires organisations to adopt a ‘prepare & commit’ paradigm, characterised by uncertainty, flexibility, complexity and opportunity. He adds that the basis for this shift is, above all, the way that project management professionals see their role.

“Project managers are well positioned to play a significant role in the implementation of the concepts of sustainability in organisations and business. In this mind shift, the change a project realises is no longer the exclusive responsibility of the project sponsor, but also the responsibility of the project manager with ethics and transparency as a basic touchstone. Sustainable project management requires that the role of the project manager evolves from that of a planning and control-oriented manager, to a co-creating and shaping leader,” the professor concludes.