Impact(sustainability)
Abstract
Sustainability has become a crucial consideration in project management. As organizations strive to align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), project managers must find ways to ensure that their projects contribute to a more sustainable future. This article explores the role of impact assessment in sustainability projects and how project, program, and portfolio management methodologies can be adapted to prioritize sustainability.
One key aspect of assessing impact is the use of sustainable indicators. Indicators can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of sustainability projects and help to track progress towards achieving SDGs [1].
However, the usage of sustainability into project management methodologies requires a significant shift in mindset and priorities. Project managers must consider the long-term impact of their projects, not just the immediate benefits and deliverables [2]. At the portfolio level, organizations can identify areas where they can have the greatest impact and prioritize projects that contribute to their sustainability goals [3].
In conclusion, the article emphasizes the need for project managers to consider the impact of their projects on sustainability goals. This requires a collaborative effort from all stakeholders involved in the project, but the benefits can be significant, both for the organization and for the planet.
Big Idea
Since the publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, there has been a constant interest in the development of indicators to measure and/or evaluate aspects of sustainable development. This growing interest received a major boost after the Earth Summit in 1992 where Agenda 21 specified the need to develop indicators of sustainable development for use at the national, regional, and global levels (United Nations, 1992).
Sustainable development consists of three dimensions- the environmental, the social, and the economic areas. Beneficial for project, program and portfolio managers could be to represent these three dimensions under a Venn diagram as M.L. Brusseau [4] illustrates.
Annotated bibliography
- ↑ Ahi, P., Searcy, C., & Kramar, R. (2021). Sustainability performance measurement and reporting: A systematic review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 295, 126389
- ↑ Kerzner, H. (2021). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons
- ↑ Buggenhout, J., Colpaert, P., & Vanhoucke, M. (2021). An optimization approach for portfolio selection in project management under sustainability constraints. Journal of Cleaner Production, 290, 125631
- ↑ M.L. Brusseau, in Environmental and Pollution Science (Third Edition), 2019
