Project managers are well placed to ensure projects are sustainable, say Mark Langdon and Donnie MacNicol, but they need to ask some tough questions

1. 14 Construction Journal November-December 09
Sustainability – Project management
Are you a sustainable PM?
uilt environment projects and the way they are
managed make a significant contribution to
the heavy, inefficient and wasteful use of
resources. In a recent supplement on sustainable
buildings (27 April 2009), the Financial Times reported
that the construction industry accounts for 8% of the
UK’s GDP but produces a third of the country’s waste
– more than three times that of the UK’s households.
Anecdotal evidence from client studies have also
shown that on some projects up to 50% of man-
hours worked on sites are wasted, and less than
half of the work that is planned each day gets done.
This is clearly unsustainable.
PMs are well placed to make a significant
contribution to ensuring projects are sustainable as
they are experts in maximising human potential as
well as optimising the use of natural resources. It is
therefore vital that PMs develop and subscribe to
certain principles when working with those who
commission and sponsor projects, and latterly
when they are scoping, managing and delivering
these projects.
2. Does the team sufficiently understand
sustainability?
Individuals will have different levels of understanding
and experience of sustainability. These variations
must be identified and ironed out, especially if they
exist within the core client advisory team whom
others will look to for direction, e.g. there may be
deeply held opinions regarding contractual
arrangements, dealing with members of the supply
chain or using innovative products. The PM must
seek to establish a consistent level of understanding
across the team, even if only to a basic level,
potentially using external advice to achieve this.
3. Has a ‘triple bottom line’ set of objectives
been defined?
Typically, project objectives are defined using a limited
number of financial measures. Sustainability requires
a broader view, requiring an optimum balance
between social, economic and environmental factors.
These must be considered at the earliest opportunity,
ideally at pre-feasibility/inception stage where concept
options are being considered. This requires the client
to make decisions distinguishing between cost and
value (guided by the project policy). For example, a
building could be viewed as merely meeting short-
term accommodation needs, whereas with additional
thought and investment it could become a long-term
representation of the organisation’s brand. The
project could potentially ‘cost’ more, but its longer-
term ‘value’ could be considerably greater.
4. Have the whole life costs of the project been
considered?
Where necessary, the PM should challenge the
strategic budgetary allocation for the project to
ensure it adequately supports a funding model based
on whole life costs. Capital expenditure will often be
higher to realise longer-term benefits and reduced
costs but, given the current economic challenges,
a short-term cash flow-driven approach will be
tempting for many clients. The PM must ensure the
client understands the implications of their decisions,
B
Project managers are well placed to ensure projects are sustainable, say
Mark Langdon and Donnie MacNicol, but they need to ask some tough questions
Innovation may not only be in the fabric
of the final deliverable but also in the
way the project is contracted… or the
way the building is considered as a
‘system of systems’
The following 10 questions are meant to provoke
readers into considering their role in both managing
sustainable projects and managing projects
sustainably. Given the complexity of the sustainability
arena, the questions are deliberately generic as it is
critical that whatever actions are taken, they are done
in context of the specific project.
1. What is the client’s policy on sustainability?
Much of the terminology around sustainability is new
and the meanings have not yet been fully established
– but team members will have their own views and
will have already made certain assumptions. It is
therefore critical that the client defines what
sustainability actually means in the context of the
specific project and sets the spirit and policy by
which the team will work to, e.g. using sustainable
products only in public areas rather than across
the whole project. This policy should be guided
by the PM and challenged by the team to ensure
robustness.
©iStockphoto.com/FredySujono

2. November-December 09 Construction Journal 15
Sustainability – Project management
especially given the uncertainty of looking many years
ahead. Take for example the real-life case of choosing
a sustainable car. Research has been produced to
show that over the whole life of a vehicle such as the
Hummer, the total greenhouse gas emissions may be
lower than a Toyota Prius. The outcome of the
research was highly dependent on assumptions
made and the relative importance put on different
factors, but it highlights that this is a complex area
and that assumptions must be challenged. This
demonstrates that context is critical to consider
before any decisions are made.
5. Is there an integrated procurement strategy
in place?
The PM must ensure that the procurement route
chosen and the level of integration between supply
chain members are compatible with delivering a
sustainable project. Teamwork, contracts, knowledge
sharing and communication are all crucial and should
ensure that the expertise of all parties is used to
maximise the project’s value, e.g. the benefits derived
from the effective interconnection between the design
delivery and maintenance of the resulting assets.
6. Has a robust business case been created
and tested?
The PM should provide the structure and process
through which the team challenges the basis for the
project and whether it will meet current or future client
needs (financial and triple bottom line) remembering
that the most sustainable project may be the one
not actually done. The PM must ensure that a robust
and comprehensive business case is produced and
ensure the client fully appreciates the levels of
uncertainty and any underlying assumptions.
7. Is there a positive attitude towards
innovation?
As the sustainability landscape is not fully mapped
out, it is important that the team has a positive
attitude towards innovation and accept that risk is
inevitable. Innovation may not only be in the fabric of
the final deliverable, but also in the way the project is
contracted, how the supply chain is engaged or the
way the building is considered as a ‘system of
systems’. From the beginning of the project, this
innovation/risk balance must be identified and
managed, ensuring that all project participants accept
a proportionate share of the risk, e.g. if designers are
encouraged to use new approaches, the client must
accept a proportion of the risk, remembering that ‘If
you always do what you always did, you’ll always get
what you always got’.
8. Does the team understand the technical
complexities?
Some sustainable technology solutions are simple
and straightforward. Others, however, have many
facets and need more careful consideration and
assessment by the team. Many technologies are
new and their relationships with other products and
systems may not have been tested over time and will
result in some unknowns, e.g. the BRE’s concern
that specifying materials or products solely on one
criterion, such as embodied carbon or recycled
content, can lead to sub-optimal overall sustainability
choices. BRE has also noted that materials or
products not getting A or A+ ratings in its Green
Guide can still be, and already are, part of buildings
achieving high levels in the Code for Sustainable
Homes or BREEAM. It is important to resist fads,
fashions and tokenism and to consider each potential
solution on its merits. All project participants can
make substantial contributions to this debate using
their particular perspective and expertise.
Related competencies
include: M009, T013
It is critical that the client defines
what sustainability actually means
in the context of the specific project
9. Is the human potential on the project being
maximised?
People are the most important resource on any
project and their energies, skills and enthusiasm
must be harnessed and rewarded to ensure their
continued support. Choosing and developing the
team to deliver a sustainable project, and manage it
sustainably, should be a core competence of a PM
and is essential to successful delivery. The PM should
involve the team in the decision-making process to
improve engagement, e.g. running forums to discuss
how the client’s sustainability objectives can be met.
10. Are you modelling the behaviours you wish
to see from others?
When leading a project, a significant contribution can
be made by modelling the behaviours you wish to
see on the project. Small things, done consistently,
will show the importance given to sustainability on
the project, e.g. sourcing materials for the project
from sustainable sources (such as paper), ensuring
that a green travel plan is implemented and using
conference calls where possible (keeping in mind the
importance of building relationships through face-to-
face contact).
Sustainability, what it means and what it influences
is having an impact on the world of surveying and
the PM’s role is key in educating, challenging and
providing direction for the future. Those willing to
have their attitudes and knowledge challenged,
and who can adapt to the opportunities being
presented, will position themselves as leaders in
this evolving/developing field.
Mark Langdon is an architect and contributor
on sustainability with the Association for Project
Management (APM). Donnie MacNicol is a Director of
management consultancy Team Animation and Chair
of the APM’s People Specific Interest Group
donnie@teamanimation.co.uk