The instrumental role of projects in the transition of organisations, and thus society, towards sustainability affects how projects are planned, organised, executed, and managed [1]. As a result, ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ project management is now considered one of the most critical global project management trends.
Phase | Impact Area | Source |
---|---|---|
Project initiation |
Setting of project objectives | Aarseth, Ahola, Aaltonen, Økland and Andersen [5][2]; Silvius and Schipper [4][1] |
Extending the scope of consideration in the project | Labuschagne and Brent [10][3]; Silvius and Schipper [4][1] | |
Identification of benefits in the business case | Weninger and Huemann [11][4]; Silvius [12][5] | |
Cost/benefits analysis in the business case | Silvius [12][5] | |
Project planning |
Methods used in project planning | Carboni et al. [13][6] |
Identification and assessment of stakeholders | Eskerod and Huemann [14][7]; Sánchez [15][8]; Silvius and Schipper [16][9] | |
Selection of contractors and suppliers | Molenaar et al. [17][10]; Aarseth, Ahola, Aaltonen, Økland and Andersen [5][2] | |
Scheduling of the project | Taylor [18][11] | |
Selection and organisation of the project team | Silvius and Schipper [4][1] | |
Development of sustainability competencies | Aarseth, Ahola, Aaltonen, Økland and Andersen [5][2] | |
Identification and management of project risks | Silvius [19][12] | |
Project execution |
Monitoring of the project | Sánchez [15][8] |
Communication in and by the project | Pade et al. [20][13]; Barendsen et al. [21][14] | |
Engagement with stakeholders | Eskerod and Huemann [14][7]; Sánchez [15][8]; Silvius and Schipper [16][9] | |
Assessment and management of quality in the project | Silvius and Schipper [4][1] | |
Project closing | Evaluation and identification of lessons learned | Carboni, Duncan, Gonzalez, Milsom and Young [13][6]; Silvius and Schipper [4][1] |
Indicator | Description |
---|---|
Indicators of economic sustainability | |
Return on Investment | The creation and distribution of economic value as a basic indication of how the project creates wealth for all stakeholders. |
Business Agility | The ability to be flexible or agile in strategies, objectives, requirements, decision making, processes, projects, and resources. |
Competitive potential | Acquisition or development (through projects) of attribute or combination of attributes that allows the organisation to outperform its competitors. |
(Business) Continuity | Ensuring that an organisation’s critical business functions will continue to operate despite incidents or developments. Business continuity includes the ability to change or adapt business functions and the business model. |
Motivation and incentives | Motivations and incentives that influence behaviour of individuals in the organisation. Personal incentives should be motivational but responsible with respect to stakeholder’s interests and the society in general. |
Risk reduction | The potential of losing something of (potential) value. Risk assessment should include also long term, social and environmental effects. Risk acceptance strategies should take a prudent approach. |
Indicators of environmental sustainability | |
Transport | The movement of physical objects from one place to another. |
Energy | Use of energy for business resources and processes. Energy use is related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to scarcity of their origins (e.g., oil). The environmental footprint of a project (organisation) is shaped in part by its choice of energy sources. |
Water | Use of clean water for business resources and processes. Withdrawals from a water system can affect the environment by lowering the water table, reducing the volume of water available for use, or otherwise altering the ability of an ecosystem to perform its functions. |
Eco system | The community of living organisms (plants, animals, and microbes) in conjunction with the non-living components of their environment (things like air, water, and mineral soil), interacting as a system. |
Waste and Packaging | Wastes are substances or objects, which are disposed of or are intended/required to be disposed of. Packaging is the enclosing or protecting objects (products) for distribution, storage, sale, and use. |
Materials and resources | From an environmental perspective some attributes of materials and resources are important: for example, the extent to which materials used for the project are or become toxic during the project, the scarcity of the material, the extent to which fossil (or non-replaceable) materials are used by the project, the reusability of the material after their use, the origin of the material and the incorporated energy of the materials during sourcing or production or use by the project. |
Emissions | Emissions of fluids or gasses resulting from an organisation’s processes or resources on land, on water or in the air. |
Spatial planning | Regional/spatial planning gives geographical expression to the economic, social, cultural, and ecological policies of society. Several aspects influence this: the use and quality of space, the social relevance and welfare related to the space, reachability, and investment climate to business and inhabitants. |
Nuisance | Nuisance describes an activity or condition that is harmful or annoying to others (e.g., loud noises, vibrations, dust, dirt). Nuisance is relevant to project, while during execution nuisance levels of noise, vibrations, dust, or dirt) commonly rise above aesthetic levels and can be annoying to the community. |
(Business) Continuity | Ensuring that an organisation’s critical business functions will continue to operate despite incidents or developments. Business continuity includes the ability to change or adapt business functions and the business model. |
Indicators of social sustainability | |
Labour practices and decent work | Fair labour practices and decent work are the availability of employment in conditions of freedom, equity, human security, and dignity. |
Human rights | The extent to which processes have been implemented to safeguard stakeholders’ ability to enjoy and exercise their human rights. Among the human rights issues included are non-discrimination, gender equality, freedom of association, collective bargaining, child labour, forced or compulsory labour, and Indigenous rights. |
Ethical behaviour | Ethical behaviour, consisting of anti-competitive behaviour, anti-trust, and monopoly practices must ensure a level playing field for customers (and supplier) regarding consumer choice, pricing, and other factors that are essential to efficient markets. |
Society, customer, and product responsibility | Society, customer, and product responsibility concerns with impacts caused by project activities, project results and their effects on customers, society, local communities, and other stakeholders. |
Participation | Participation is about the proactive involvement of stakeholders, suppliers, and customers with respect to the project’s development, design, processes, deliverables, and effects. |
Human capital development | The development of the organisations or individual’s intellectual capital (competencies, knowledge, and skills). |
Corporate governance | Governance broadly refers to the mechanisms, processes, and relations by which corporations and projects are monitored, evaluated, and directed. Sustainability aspects should be covered and integrated in the areas of documentation, reporting and decision making and strategy formulation. |