Sustainability and the Project Manager

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Sustainability and the Project Manager
Opportunities, Challenges and Contributions

• Prof. Charles Egbu
• Dr. Mohammed Arif
• The University of Salford, The Old Fire Station,
  Salford, M5 4WT
• 23rd September 2010

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Structure

• Presentation
• Workshop
• Break Out Session to discuss key issues
• Feedback from Break-Out Session
• Support with Research - Completion of Short
  Questionnaire

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Sustainability and the Project Manager

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Project Management today, now and in the future
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OPPORTUNITY.. introducing sustainability
initiatives into projects and in organisations
through change management
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The Changing Face of PMgt?

• The dominant way of organising change is in
  projects
• Project and project management are becoming a
  crucial activity of organisations Business as
  Usual (BAU)
• - Value Adding

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Strategic Planning - Understanding Business Value

• Who are our Clients/stakeholders?
• What value do we provide to them? (GAP ANALYSIS)
• Who will be our customers/stakeholders in the
  future?
• How will we satisfy their needs and expectations?

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Linking Project and Strategic Plan
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The Project Manager

• Responsibility
• Authority
• Accontability
• ... To see the project to its successful
  completion...

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Sustainability

• Sustainability is complex, diverse and tend to
  mean different things to different people

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Triple Bottom Line
Sustainable Development
Economic Principles
Social Principles
Environmental Principles
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Sustainability A global challenge of our time.

• In 1987 Brundtland defined sustainability as
  meets the needs of the present without
  compromising the ability of future generations to
  meet their own needs
• The Brundtland Report (1987) Our Common Future.
  Oxford University Press, ISBN 019282080.
• 1992 Earth Summit - United Nations Conference on
  Environment and Development -Rio de Janeiro,
  Brazil
•   1997 Kyoto Protocol
•    2009 Copenhagen (COP15)

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UKs Position

• The UK Government identified 4 aims in its
  strategy for sustainable development
• Social progress that recognises the needs of
  everyone
• Effective protection of the environment
• Prudent use of natural resources
• Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic
  growth

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Sustainable Project Management
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People, Planet, Profit
Sustainability is about balancing or harmonizing
social, environmental and economical interests
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Environment

• Revell and Blackburn (2007), and Pasquire
• (1999) have presented a range of success factors
• that can help make construction industry
• environmentally friendly.
• imposition of stricter regulations.
• establishment of longer customer-supplier
  relationship.
• awareness of environmental, social and economic
  impact.

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Environment Contd.

• implementation of environmental management
  system.
• push from the top management.
• implementation of ISO14,000 kind of
  certifications.
• regular audits on green environmental standards.
• customers willingness to pay extra for green
  construction and
• engagement by government bodies during the
  formulation of the regulations.

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Waste Minimisation

• Dainty and Brooke (2004), and Sarkis (1998) have
  listed and extensive range of practices that can
  help minimise waste in construction as well An
  other infrastructure projects.
• standardization of design
• stock control to minimize over-ordering
• environmental education for the workforce
• having recycling and waste disposal companies as
  part of the supply chain
• just in time delivery
• penalties for poor waste management
• incentives and tender premiums for waste
  minimisation

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Waste Minimisation Contd.

• waste auditing
• increased use of off-site techniques/mass-producti
  on vs. made to order
• use of on-site compactors
• suppliers required to provide in small batch
  sizes and
• reverse logistics.

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Energy

• For energy efficiency in construction, Bartlett
• and Howard (2000), Tiwari (2001), Sarkis (1998),
• and Unruh (2008) have highlighted issues and
• practices.
• setting up energy saving objectives at
  operational level
• consideration of energy objectives at the
  strategic planning level itself
• value management of energy plans

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Energy Contd.

• lifecycle costing accuracy
• education/awareness to designers about energy
  efficient materials and techniques
• use of cost and environmental assessment tools
  and
• investigation about energy producing
  opportunities in the project.

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Sustainable Project Management

• The management of project-organised change in
  policies, assets or organisations
• consideration given to the economic, social and
  environmental impact of the project, its result
  and its effect for now and future generations

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Research

• How do we develop indicators for incorporating
  the concepts of sustainability in project
  management?

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CONTRIBUTIONS Contribution through the roles
that Project Managers play in projects
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Contributions and Roles (1)

• Briefing Supporting and encouraging clients and
  sponsor - championing incorporation of
  sustainability into statements of requirements
  and applying them throughout the project
• Finance and Funding Models understand,
  encourage and promote appropriate financial and
  funding models at the inception emphasising the
  triple bottom line and whole life costings with
  an awareness and knowledge of financial benefits

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Contributions and Roles (1)

• Selection Incorporating sustainability criteria
  in selecting team members, contractors,
  suppliers, etc.
• Strategies Considering sustainability in the
  fundamental options of scoping, phasing,
  sequencing, sourcing, procurement, contracts,
  etc.
• Design Proposals Stimulate and encourage
  designs which respond to statements of
  requirements, statutory, standards and good
  practice for sustainability

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Contributions and Roles (1)

• Specifications Making sure that components and
  assemblies are sourced and delivered in
  sustainable ways including delivery methods,
  packaging,
• Change Decisions Address sustainability aspects
  when change is under review
• Delivery Stage Implement predetermined project
  sustainability arrangements and good practices

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Contributions and Roles (1)

• Management Arrangements Adopt effective
  managerial and operational arrangements covering
  logistics, meetings, communications, consumables,
  re-use and recycling
• Communications Convey sustainability aspects
  of the project throughout its duration Provide
  processes for this to happen.

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CHALLENGES WHAT ARE THEY
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Challenges

• People are at the core of sustainability.
• -How people initiate, implement and use
  project outcomes makes them either sustainable or
  un-sustainable

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Challenges

• Developing sustainable solutions requires a
  greater understanding of the
• Impact that the use of projects have on the
  environment and quality of life of
  occupants/users
• Cultural shift needed by key players (Clients,
  sponsors, project manager, educators,
  professional bodies..etc.
• Barriers to implementation (i.e. stakeholder
  reticence, the role of whole life thinking etc).

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Challenges

• Short-termism of project professionals (and I
  dare say, their employers and clients)
• The Project Management fraternity appear not to
  speak with one voice in their quest to address
  sustainability.
• Collaboration between industry and research in
  addressing sustainability issues from a project
  management perspective
• No holistic approach towards educating and
  training of the next generation of project
  professionals on the implications of managing
  sustainability issues

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KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND COMPETENCES Developing
and acquiring what is needed to effectively
address sustainability issues in projects
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Sustainability and the Project Manager
Knowledge, Skills and Competences
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Developing and Acquiring Requisite Skills,
Knowledge and Competences

• Are there targeted programmes on Sustainability
  and the Project manager (Formal, informal,
  external, in-house )?
• What are the roles of the education and training
  providers professional associations?
• What should an appropriate course content
  targeted at project professionals be?

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Reflections and Conclusions

• Projects are important tools for introducing
  sustainability initiatives into projects and in
  organisations through change management An
  Opportunity
• Project Managers have significant contributions
  to make
• There are inevitable challenges
• We need targeted education and training
  programmes
• Need to consider project professionals of the
  future as well as future generations in what we
  do TODAY.

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Key workshop Questions

• 1. What role should project managers play in
  addressing the sustainability requirements of
  projects?
• 2. What main challenges confront project
  managers in addressing sustainability
  requirements of projects?
• 3. What requisite knowledge, skills and
  competencies do project managers need in
  addressing sustainability requirements of
  projects?
• 4. How best is knowledge, skills and competencies
  for addressing the sustainability requirements of
  projects acquired and/or developed?