Sustainable Project Management - ICB4 Reference Guide

There is broad consensus that the growth of the world population, the exploitation of Earth's natural resources, and the cumulative impact of both human activities and resource consumption have led to an unsustainable situation with severe adverse consequences.

Achieving sustainable development requires a systemic transformation that affects organizations, their products and services, business processes, and the materials and resources they use.

Since projects shape the future, they play a crucial role in driving these changes. This role extends beyond delivering sustainable outputs and outcomes (sustainability by the project) to ensuring that the processes of developing and delivering these outputs are sustainable (sustainability of the project).

Embracing sustainability in project management necessitates a shift in focus—from managing the traditional iron triangle of time, budget, and scope to addressing social, environmental, and economic impacts and value creation. The complexity of sustainable development demands that project management adopt a more holistic, adaptive, and less predictive approach. This requires a fundamental paradigm shift: from a task-oriented, predict-and-control mindset to a change-oriented, prepare-and-develop mindset—one characterized by uncertainty, flexibility, and continuous learning.

Integrating sustainability into project management means that project managers must take responsibility for the sustainability of their projects, even without formal accountability. This shift calls for a new mindset, where the change a project realizes is no longer solely the responsibility of the project sponsor but also of the project manager, guided by the values of integrity, accountability, and transparency.

For the three competence areas the authors use the same setup as the ICB4. For each competence they give the description, knowledge, skills and abilities and key competence indicators.

Perspective competences

Strategy: Establishing a performance management system in which projects are evaluated and managed based on their alignment with the organization's sustainability goals and overall strategy.
Governance, structures, and processes: Ensuring that the governance of projects, programs, and portfolios reflects the organization’s commitment to sustainability, grounded in its core values.
Compliance, standards, and regulations: Adhering to written standards and regulations on sustainability and corporate social responsibility, which are built on fundamental values such as equality, fairness, transparency, and accountability.
Power and interest: Equipping individuals with the ability to navigate the project's stakeholder environment, identify responsibility and accountability for unsustainable demands, behaviors, or interests, and secure effective support for sustainability initiatives.
Culture and values: Enabling individuals to recognize diverse interpretations of sustainability and (corporate) social responsibility, appreciate the influence of different perspectives, and navigate cultural differences with respect and adaptability.

People competences

Self-reflection and self-management: An individual's personal values and attitude toward sustainability and (corporate) social responsibility are the most decisive factors in driving sustainable practices.
Personal integrity: Actions and decisions should be guided by consistent and shared values and principles rooted in integrity, transparency, and accountability, while aligning with the organization's commitment to sustainability and (corporate) social responsibility.
Personal communication: Clear, open, honest, and effective communication about a project’s societal and environmental impacts is essential for aligning these impacts with organizational strategy and stakeholder interests.
Relationships and engagement: Projects play a crucial role in the sustainable development of organizations and society, requiring the collective action and collaboration of diverse stakeholders within and around the project.
Leadership: Leadership for sustainability demands forward-thinking, futures literacy, and the ability to anticipate and adapt to evolving global and complex challenges. It is about creating a lasting legacy of positive impact.
Teamwork: Integrating sustainability and social responsibility into teamwork reshapes how projects are conceptualized, planned, and executed. It promotes a holistic and responsible approach to project management, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to ethical and sustainable practices.
Conflict and crisis: Incorporating sustainability and corporate social responsibility into conflict resolution processes can lead to more socially conscious and sustainable outcomes, influencing how conflicts are managed within projects and teams.
Resourcefulness: Being resourceful enables individuals and organizations to effectively address sustainability challenges and their societal and environmental impacts.
Negotiation: Sustainable development requires collaboration across value chains to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to shared challenges. Therefore, negotiation strategies should focus on building long-term relationships based on mutual respect and shared values.
Result orientation: While a results-driven mindset is important, excessive focus on short-term outcomes can undermine long-term sustainability and stakeholder interests. Balancing short-term achievements with sustainable, long-term impact is essential.

Practice competences

Project Design: The project should be designed to contribute positively to both the organization’s strategy and society while minimizing or eliminating any potentially harmful impacts.
Requirements and Objectives: The project's outputs, deliverables, and outcomes should incorporate sustainability-related requirements, ensuring that the impacts of resources, processes, deliverables, and benefits on society and the environment are carefully considered. The individual should strive to eliminate harmful effects.
Scope: All societal and environmental impacts of the project should be taken into account, including those that emerge beyond the project’s life cycle and may initially seem out of scope.
Time: Sustainability requires the prevention, elimination, or reduction of waste. The project schedule should be optimized to minimize waiting times for both human and material resources while acknowledging the inherent uncertainties in estimated timelines and efforts.
Organization and Information: A project's commitment to sustainability necessitates the inclusion of sustainability expertise within the project team. Information systems and communication flows should incorporate data on environmental and societal impacts.
Quality: Quality assessments should integrate sustainability criteria, considering the project's social and environmental impacts alongside traditional quality measures.
Finance: Incorporating sustainability into projects requires evaluating additional performance variables, particularly those related to the project’s long-term social and environmental impacts, including those associated with contractors and suppliers.
Resources: The strategy for acquiring, using, and disposing of resources should align with sustainability principles and corporate social responsibility, reflecting the project's commitment to responsible resource management.
Procurement: The procurement process should include sustainability criteria when selecting suppliers and contractors. Suppliers should also be required to report relevant social and environmental impact data.
Plan and Control: A sustainability impact analysis should be conducted during project planning and documented in a project sustainability management plan, which should be an integral part of the overall project planning documentation.
Risk and Opportunity: A life cycle or value chain perspective is essential for sustainability. This means that the project must consider not only risks and opportunities related to its immediate objectives but also those associated with the entire life cycle of its resources, deliverables, and impacts.
Stakeholders: Stakeholder analysis should include not only those with economic interests but also representatives of social and environmental concerns. Additionally, stakeholders involved in the life cycle of the project’s resources, deliverables, and impacts should be identified and considered.
Change and Transformation: The project should be positioned within its broader organizational and societal context, reflecting on its social and environmental impacts. Sustainability-driven transformations go beyond technical changes, encompassing cultural and social shifts, behavioral adjustments, and institutional reforms.

Conclusion

This guide serves as a valuable resource for project managers striving to deliver sustainable projects. It aligns with the ICB4 framework, ensuring consistency with established project management competencies. While some competencies may not have direct sustainability-related additions, all have been included in the guide for the sake of completeness.