1st Edition

Becoming a Sustainable Organization A Project and Portfolio Management Approach

By Kristina Kohl Copyright 2016
    358 Pages 71 B/W Illustrations
    by Auerbach Publications

    Organizations find that a performance gap exists between sustainability vision and benefits realization. Effecting transformational change requires incorporating sustainability into organization’s culture including policies, processes, and people. Although they are often overlooked, project management professionals and HR professionals are valuable organizational resources for driving sustainable transformation. This book lays out a framework to improve sustainability integrations including case studies, lessons learned, best practices, and tools and templates to facilitate transforming into a sustainable organization.

    Becoming a Sustainable Organization: A Project and Portfolio Management Approach lays out a framework to create organizational value while preserving natural and social capital. The book provides a roadmap for organizations during their sustainability journey by sharing case studies, best practices, and lessons learned, as well as tools and techniques to drive change.

    This book is an ideal resource for project and portfolio managers, as well as executive managers, in organizations that are embarking on a sustainability journey. It explains how to engage both internal and external stakeholders in order to reframe strategy to drive this transformation. It examines the role human capital management professionals and policies can play in ensuring that employees become fully engaged in sustainability. It also recommends baseline measurements and metrics to help managers ensure sustainability initiatives remain on track.

    The case studies and interviews in this book include sustainability stories and projects from a variety of organizations in both function and size, including family-owned businesses, higher-education institutions, NGOs, municipal and federal government agencies, and large global organizations. These cases are based on interviews with experienced sustainability and project management professionals who have not just "talked the talk" but also "walked the walk."

    The voices of these professionals provide invaluable inspiration and guidance to sustainability champions and to program and project managers seeking to move their sustainability portfolio components forward within their organizations.

    What Is Sustainability? Why Does It Matter?
    Defining Sustainability
    History of Sustainability
    Sustainability in Business
    Social Capital
    Natural Capital
    Megatrends
    Natural Resource Scarcity
    Climate Change
    Population Growth, Urbanization, and Demographic Change
    Global Connectivity and Information Transparency
    Stakeholder Interest in Sustainability
    Portfolio, Program, and Project Management Impact
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Building the Business Case for Sustainability
    Sustainable Strategy Drives Value
    CEO Perspective
    Financial Performance/Competitive Advantage
    Managing Risk
    Climate Change Risk
    Creating New Opportunities and Products
    Access to Capital
    Engaging Stakeholders
    Competitive Ratings and Rankings
    Operational Improvements and Energy Savings
    Project and Portfolio Management Impact
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Gaining Stakeholder and C-Suite Support and Sponsorship
    Creating Value through Sustainable Strategy
    Planning for Sustainability Success
    The Sustainability Journey
    Building the Case for Sustainability
    Engaging the C-Suite
    Finding a Champion in the C-Suite
    Materiality
    Barriers to Adoption
    Project, Program, and Portfolio Management Impact
    A Conversation about Engaging the C-Suite
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Alignment of Business and Sustainability Strategy Creates Sustainable Strategy
    Alignment of Business and Sustainable Strategy
    Creating and Implementing Sustainable Strategy
    Organizational Alignment
    Portfolio Management Selection to Promote Alignment
    Alignment of Programs and Projects with Sustainability Vision
    Materiality Supports Alignment
    Developing a Framework to Promote Sustainability
    Value Creation Drivers
    Aligning Programs and Projects with Sustainable Strategy
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Project Management Techniques Inform Sustainable Strategy Development
    Project Manager Barriers to Effectively Managing Sustainability
    Project Management Maturity and the Sustainability Journey
    Sustainability Project Charter
    Sustainability Drivers
    Sustainability Assessment
    Sustainability Continuum
    Harness the Power of Project Management
    Scope, Time, and Cost
    Building Sustainability into All Projects
    Program Management
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Creating a Culture of Sustainability
    Organizational Culture
    Culture of Sustainability
    Defining Sustainability as a Core Value
    Benefit Corporations
    Creating a Culture of Sustainability
    Misalignment of Values and Actions
    Establishing Goals
    Create a Team
    Internal Stakeholder Adoption
    Metrics to Drive Change
    Best Practices
    Portfolio, Program, and Project Manager Perspective
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Portfolio Management Supports Strategic Sustainability Alignment
    The Portfolio Analysis Process
    Identifying the Portfolio Management Process
    Sustainability Portfolio Assessment
    Communication of Goals and Drivers to Stakeholders
    Portfolio Management Alignment
    Creating a Supportive Organizational Structure
    Portfolio Component Selection
    Types of Components
    Incorporating Lessons Learned
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Identifying and Engaging External Stakeholders
    Impact of Engagement
    Creating an Engagement Plan
    Identifying Stakeholders and Collecting Requirements
    Engaging Stakeholders to Identify Needs and Define Requirements
    The Stakeholder Engagement Process
    Identifying Key Stakeholders
    Portfolio, Program, and Project Management Impact
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Leveraging Organizational Relationships and Assets
    Impact of an Organization’s Sustainability Maturity on Stakeholder Engagement
    Managing Internal Stakeholders
    Engaging Function Business Leaders
    Internal Stakeholder Drivers for Sustainability
    Best Practices for Engagement
    Measuring Engagement
    Project, Program, and Portfolio Management Impact
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Leveraging Human Capital Professionals
    Human Capital Relevance in Reporting Frameworks
    Human Resource Alignment
    Impacting Global Challenges
    Employee Engagement
    Creating Business Value
    Integrating Sustainability into Human Capital Management
    Relevance to Project Management Professionals
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Adopting a Culture of Change to Unlock the Benefits of Sustainable Strategy
    Organizational Structure for Change
    Change Management Plan
    Barriers to Project Success
    Communication Plan
    Engaging Stakeholders in the Change Process
    Human Capital Advantage
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Sustainable Strategy as a Lever to Attract, Engage, and Retain the Workforce
    The Value of Engagement
    Building a Sustainable Workforce
    Creating a Sustainable Workplace
    Employee and Team Engagement
    Best Practices to Embed Sustainability and Maximize Engagement
    Project and Portfolio Perspective
    Case Study: How the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Engaged Employees on Commuting Habits and Effected Change
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Tools and Techniques to Embed Sustainability
    Resources
    Benchmarking Organizational Sustainability
    Opportunities for Employee Engagement
    Continuous Improvement Plan
    Impact of Maturing on the Sustainability Continuum
    Promoting Plug-in Vehicle Adoption by Employees by Developing Workplace Charging Stations
    Creating a Sustainable Culture
    Diversity as a Cornerstone of Sustainability
    Programs to Support D&I
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Selecting Goals and Metrics that Matter
    Alignment of Strategy, Goals, and Metrics
    Reporting Standards and Frameworks
    Selecting Meaningful Metrics
    Meaningful Metrics Drive Engagement
    Data Quality and Accuracy
    Role for Technology
    Portfolio, Program, and Project Management Impact
    UVM Case Study: STARS Project21
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Celebrating Success
    Impact of Incentives
    Gamification
    Employee Resource and Affinity Groups
    Culture of Sustainability
    Promoting Project Team Success
    Sonoma County Winegrowers Celebrate Sustainability
    The Sustainability Continuum Impact
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Index

    Biography

    Kristina Kohl is the managing principal of HRComputes, a management consulting firm that provides strategic guidance, program, and project management to corporate clients in order to maximize their human capital investment through technology and change management. Kristina leads the Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Strategy practice for the firm and provides strategic guidance to senior management on the value proposition of adopting a sustainable strategy. HRComputes is a registered New Jersey Sustainable Business, WBE, and SBE. They are recipients of the Gotham Green Award for sustainable strategy and earned a certificate of recognition from the New Jersey EPA for sustainability innovation.

    Kristina speaks at industry events including the PMI Global Conference and the Society for Human Resource Management Global Conference. In addition, she has been a guest lecturer for the University of Pennsylvania, La Salle University, and the Project Management Institute. She has authored white papers and articles for online publications of Project Management.com, Sustainable Brands, and the Wharton Magazine.