Project Management

“The further development of the project management profession requires project managers to take responsibility for sustainability”. With this call-to-action, IPMA Vice-President Mary McKinlay opened the 2008 World Congress of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). Now, three years later, the forthcoming title “Sustainability in Projects and Project Management”, elaborates on McKinlay’s call and provides guidance on why project managers should take sustainability into account in their projects, how they can do this and on what steps to take. But isn’t the sustainability of the project the responsibility of the project sponsor? And isn’t the project manager bound by the scope, budget and time schedule of the project assignment? Lead authors Gilbert Silvius and Ron Schipper explain why project managers should take responsibility.

Taking Responsibility:

The integration of Sustainability and Project Management

A.J.Gilbert Silvius and Ron Schipper

HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht

and Van Aetsveld Project and Change Management

Corresponding author: gilbert.silvius@hu.nl

Introduction

In the last 10 to 15 years, the concept of sustainability has grown in recognition and importance. The pressure on companies to broaden its reporting and accountability from economic performance for shareholders, to sustainability performance for all stakeholders has increased. The recent world crises may even imply, that a strategy focused solely on shareholder value, is not longer viable. Following the success of Al Gore’s ‘inconvenient truth’, awareness seems to be growing that a change of mindset is needed, both in consumer behavior as in corporate policies. How can we develop prosperity without compromising the life of future generations? Proactively or reactively, companies are looking for ways to integrate the notion of sustainability in their marketing, corporate communications, annual reports and in their actions.

“In essence,...