In any project, the leader should consider using the Project Management Institute (PMI) project management structure. This structure includes five core processes, consisting of initiating, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing. These five core processes are supported by 49 sub-processes, which are essential to developing a well-supervised project, and allows the team to see the project steps in greater detail. According to the PMI 6th edition, all 49 sub-processes are separated into the five core processes to provide a better understanding of which processes are interconnected and brings a much clearer view on the entire project management system.
The first step, the initiating process, includes the development of a project charter, which recognizes that the project exists, and that there is a concept behind it with an idea or structure that provides the project basis and conditions to explain why the project exists and why there is a need for the project. The second part of this process includes all the stakeholders who have any level of interest or involvement in the project, or interaction with it, whether positive or negative. The project charter and stakeholder process are tied to each other, and in close connection with project management, the techniques can be developed, providing a clearer vision for the project requirements or needs.
The planning process involves 24 sub processes, which helps to understand all the pieces of project planning to support the goal of the project and satisfy the stakeholders who were identified in the initiating process. In the planning process, everything starts with integration, which makes the balance of the planning processes to provide a structured plan considering the scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, communications, risks, procurement, and stakeholders.
Scope involves the rules of management and the collection of all the requirements, which reflects the size of the project and develops the work breakdown structure. A formal procedure is established to cover requested changes in scope. (Institute, 2017 page 129-170)
A schedule reflects how much time is necessary to complete the project. In this part, the schedule management function is established, which develops questions concerning how much time is needed for the project, what activities should be taken to create the schedule, and identifies major milestones of the project. (Institute, 2017 page 173-230)
Cost involves the project cost management plan, which provides limitations on spending through the establishment of a budget, identifies the authorities who are responsible for the project spending limits, and those who are capable of lifting the project spending limitations if the project requires additional funding. The estimated costs can be developed from the work breakdown structure and schedule to determine the budget. (Institute, 2017 page 231-270)
Quality management represents the defined quality standards that the project management is expecting from the project, and what criteria should be developed to run the project smoothly within these established quality standards. (Institute, 2017 page 271-306)
The resource section provides a resource management structure and assigns all activities between the available resources. The estimated resources required, and the task durations are integrated very closely and can be shifted according to resource availability and time, which will depend on the resources available. However, the resources and time schedules need to be tested and worked out according to the worst-case scenario and best-case scenario to identify the average capabilities and predict a safe working time scale. (Institute, 2017 page 307-358)
The communications plan needs to provide the structure with who and when project participants need to communicate during the project lifecycle; this will include the entire project management team communication and communications with outside sources. (Institute, 2017 page 359-394)
In the risk management phase, you first need to identify what is the acceptable risk tolerance to reflect any potential risks and analyze qualitative and quantitative data of those risks, which can help to build a risk management response plan. (Institute, 2017 page 395-458)
Procurement in the planning process represents what the project management team will need to make or buy to make the project happen successfully. (Institute, 2017 page 459-502)
Stakeholders’ engagement works closely with communications management and helps to develop the structure of the stakeholder’s positions, importance, and engagement within the project. (Institute, 2017 page 503-536)
The execution phase and the monitoring and controlling processes must work together very fluently because there might be a need to shift activities and tasks backward and forward to implement process improvements identified during the project, and also to make any changes within the planning process sections to provide resources and time to bring the processes up to their best quality.
However, the execution process starts with a view of the integration section, which involves direction and management within the project, and develops and documents project knowledge or lessons learned. In the execution process, quality management will start to show the outcome of the quality management plan and will start to reflect the positive and negative areas of the process, which would need to be adjusted accordingly based on the outcome of the situation. Some improvements to the previous processes will also be executed if there is a need for that.
The resource section will bring a process to acquire resources, who will be responsible for material and outsourcing service purchases. Within this process, a team will be assigned who will be working together exactly from the moment when the team will be announced. At the same time, the team’s management process will start, which will provide all the operational activities to achieve full work completion based on the project plan and requirements. After these activities come communication management, the risk response plan, procurement plan, and stakeholder’s management plan, which will be implemented according to the project planning process. That means communication will be executed according to the
communication plan, risk responses will be planned and implemented if necessary, procurement will acquire resources and will purchase necessary goods and services, and finally, stakeholders will be contacted according to the communication plan via phone calls, emails, reports, meetings, or any other way, depending on the stakeholder’s position, power, and engagement level within the project.
The monitoring and controlling processes are responsible for oversight of the project movement during the execution process, and it starts with the integration section, which monitors and controls the work and integrates any change and updates performance. This process validates and controls the scope, the schedule, costs, quality, and resources. At the same time, it is monitoring communications, risks, procurement, and stakeholders.
The closing process ends with an integration section, which closes the project or phase and delivers all the necessary final documentation to finalize the project circle or phase, in case the project contains multiple phases.
Sustainability is one of the most challenging subjects today, and many large-scale companies are trying to adapt to the current trend, as that also makes the company look better from an environmental and social perspective, but not everything that companies are offering is one hundred percent green or good. That is why there are two perspectives. One sees sustainability as a burden or liability, which is represented by regulations and standards; for example, ISO 26000, which describes Social Responsibility and safeguards our future. The ISO 26000 standard also involves human rights, the environment, and ethical behavior, and these three positions are developing ideas and implementing a base for sustainability.
Also, there is ISO 21505, which represents programs, portfolios, and projects that reflect sustainability and ethical values on improving accountability, transparency, organizational risks, communications, values, ethics, guiding principles, and engagement with stakeholders. It also addresses reducing organizational risks and increasing opportunities and benefits to achieve sustainable results (ISO 21505, 2017). However, the burden of liability supports more the idea of not harming anyone and presents some guidelines and regulations which need to be taken into consideration on every project. On the other hand, sustainability can be seen as an opportunity and responsibility that drives the organizations to make the changes because there are a market and huge potential income that are supported by social opinion or trends. This perspective drives the organization for sustainable projects more quickly than regulations. Obviously, the mix of these two perspectives is the right way to create long-term, sustainable projects.
There are not any tools to help project managers to identify sustainable project management, but there are some factors and development perspectives which can give an idea to which direction project managers should look for the right answers. This process also has a huge impact based on the origin of the project; is it from a project executive who asks for sustainability improvements, or a project manager who cares about sustainability and thinks that sustainability makes the project better. The right approach would be for the project manager himself to be fully engaged and think that sustainability makes the project better. This was proved by Marly M. Carvalho’s research concerning four factors around sustainability in project management.
Under each factor are sub factors, where attention should be given to developing a good, sustainable project with a mix of regulations and societal approval. The factors are categorized as follows:
Environmental policies and resource-saving
• Management of environmental policies
• Air
• Management of environmental impacts
• Water
• Commitment and environmental responsibility
• Natural resources
• Eco-efficiency
• Energy
• Financial benefits of environmental and social good practices
Economic and competitive advantage
• Cost management
• Financial and economic performance
• Management of the relationship with customers
• Participation and involvement of stakeholders
• Business ethics
Stakeholder management (society, contractors, suppliers, and employees)
• Relationship with society
• Management of human rights
• Relationship with the local community
• Relationship with suppliers and contractors
• Responsibility with products and services
• Engagement of stakeholders
• Labor practice
Sustainable innovation business model
• Management of the organizational culture
• Management of innovation
On each project, these four factors with subcategories can be followed, using them as a checklist, which can develop an idea for a sustainable project Management. Sustainable management can impact project management success in a positive way. After researching 222 case studies in two countries, we do need to recognize that each country, even on the same project, might act differently as the regulations and standards can shift. That is why whenever the project managers start a new project, they always need to be up to date with all the current regulations and environmental impacts. For sustainability development in the project management arena, we need to create a balance between environmental, social, and economic areas while involving other subdimensions like economic, ecological, social, time, values, geographical, performance, participation, waste, transparency, accountability, cultural, risk, and political effects. If we take into consideration all fourteen dimensions, there is a high probability to balance out the social, economic, and environmental interests which can develop a sustainable project success.