In: Economics
Sustainability is one of the most important challenges of our time. Projects play a pivotal role in the realization of more sustainable business practices and the concept of sustainability has also been linked to project management.
Methods and models that a project manager should support to work more sustainable are:
1. Start by
assessing your
current project
sustainability
Before taking steps toward greater sustainability, it’s important
to know where you currently stand. A sustainability analysis will
help you find your greatest opportunities for improvement, and will
help you measure progress as your sustainability initiative takes
shape. When assessing your project sustainability, consider first
whether the concept of sustainability applies to a given project or
project management practice, then evaluate the costs and effort
needed to make improvements, the potential benefit to the
environment and the company’s reputation and the potential cost
savings that could result.
2. Develop a
sustainability strategy
Once your assessment is complete, the next step is to draft a
strategy that defines the organization’s goals in improving
sustainability, how the improvements will be achieved and what the
organization hopes to gain in the process. Similar to a project
plan, the strategy should name the people, roles or departments who
will be responsible for leading the sustainability initiative and
the level of authority they will have in determining project
priorities.
3. Adopt a
sustainability standard
As interest in project sustainability continues to grow,
organizations have begun to set standards to help executive leaders
and project managers determine whether they are meeting their
sustainability goals. Green Project Management, for example,
recently released the P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project
Management, a set of goals and metrics that companies can use to
guide their own efforts.
4. Look for
sustainability in
partners and
vendors
The larger an organization is, the more pressure it can exert on
the companies it does business with. Asking vendors and suppliers
to increase their own sustainability can not only reduce your own
organization’s environmental footprint, it can lead to broader
improvements among your vendors’ other customers as well.
5. Spread the
word
As with any organizational effort, communication is the key to
success. As soon as your sustainability strategy is defined, start
engaging your project teams in the process. Ask for feedback on
your sustainability goals, and solicit new ideas that employees
might have based on their previous projects. The more ownership
your employees feel in the sustainability effort, the harder
they’ll work to make it a success