Managing Sustainability Development Projects

Abstract

The research field of sustainable project management and sustainability-promoting projects are emerging but they still remain fragmented. Traditional project management frameworks often prioritise classic constraints like time, budget, and quality, lacking the capacity to fully account for environmental issues. Sustainability development projects (SDPs) introduce environmental considerations to project management processes, necessitating a reassessment of project success and adding intricacy to managing internal sustainability initiatives within project-based firms. There is a need for a greater understanding on how sustainability-promoting development projects are managed and defined. This thesis aimed to study sustainability development projects and their management within a private target company delivering complex solutions. The purpose was to gain insight into current management practices and ways of project-based firms to integrate sustainability in their development projects. The research employed a qualitative multi-case study approach, examining four different sustainability development projects at the target company. Data collection was conducted as semi-structured interviews with project managers, team members and external partners involved in these projects. The interview data was analysed using theoretical thematic analysis, guided by frameworks derived from the study's research questions and the interview guide. Based on the analysis, a working definition was developed for SDPs: an internal development project with a focus on fostering environmental sustainability within the project’s operational context through the project’s deliverable and/or the way the project is managed and executed. Also, good practices in managing SDPs were identified. SDPs benefit from an iterative approach to project management, a holistic and long-term perspective, lenient scheduling, clarity in communication and contractual obligations and purposeful formulation and maintenance of the project’s sustainability mission. The findings contribute to sustainable project management literature by defining sustainability development projects and their distinct characteristics and by providing good practices in managing them. On a practical level, the research advices on approaching and managing sustainability development projects and sustainability initiatives. Future research could focus on developing a framework for best practices in SDP management or extending their use to other types of projects, such as delivery projects or public sector projects. Also, the findings of this research could be further affirmed by longitudinal research on sustainability development projects.