Executive Summary
It is essential to mention that sustainability principles are practically an integral part of project management. This principle is a tool to implement a value-oriented strategy and achieve success in the project. The objective of the analysis was to evaluate and analyze sustainable development as a field of research. At the same time, the study aimed to estimate the impact of sustainability in project management and find better ways to implement programs. A literature and methodology review were conducted to investigate whether the impact of sustainability contributes to successful project management. It is significant to point out that the literature review provided a key insight into the definition of the sustainable management principle and its potential benefits. At the same time, the implementation of the principle and its connection to the life cycle of the company is investigated. In line with this, it can be established that the principal determines long-term perspectives and requires proper application. Therefore, the literature review noted the social, economic, and environmental factors that can affect introducing a sustainability strategy.
Moreover, the review of previous studies highlighted the need to identify the main factors and their development. In the literature, a lot of attention was also paid to the manager and his ability to respond quickly and efficiently to change. Another feature of the principle of sustainable development is to establish an effective dialogue between leaders, managers, employees, and third parties. At the same time, a qualitative study of the literature allowed for assessing the possibility of prediction and positive impact on the functioning of projects.
It is also essential to remark that the research methods that have been used in the literature have been analyzed. In addition, it should be mentioned that the authors indicate that descriptive methods and observations cannot provide a comprehensive view of the principle of sustainable development in the field of project management. It is necessary to specify that mostly mixed methods of analysis were applied. At the same time, most of the analyzed literature relies on surveys, interviews, and statistical analysis. However, there are certain limitations, such as the limited scope of research on the functioning of the principle or the insufficient sample of the survey. Nevertheless, statistical analysis methods have been found to assess the enterprise’s success in using the principle. Thus, this analysis made it possible to determine the overachievements of the principle of sustainable development and provided certain limitations that need to be eliminated.
Introduction
The success of project management is determined by the level of project effectiveness achieved to accomplish the purposes of the program. Effectiveness relates to how the project controls its limited resources to achieve its objectives while establishing good relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Sustainable project leadership is the planning, monitoring, and control of project implementation and support processes. It considers the environmental, economic, and social aspects of a project’s resource life cycle, processes, results, and effects, with the aim of realizing benefits for stakeholders.
The purpose of the analysis is to evaluate and analyze sustainable development as a research area. This is because it can help in project management and finding better ways to implement programs. At the same time, the literature review clearly identifies project phases and factors that are important in guiding sustainable project management in an organization Chow et al. (2021). However, Carvalho and Rabechini (2017) confirm that there is a direct relationship between project sustainability management and project success. Sabini and Alderman (2021) note that the management profession has changed significantly in integrating social and environmental goals into its core values. As the industry changes, project managers face new challenges and limitations (Todorovich and Obradovic, 2021). Similarly, Khalife, Dunay, and llles (2021) clearly designate the role of the manager; acts as an agent of change. Significantly, Martens and Carvalho (2016) explore key sustainability variables in project management and examine their impact on project success.
Martinez-Perales et al. (2018) address two main issues: the possibility of considering management systems standards as a tool to operationalize sustainability and defining sustainability as a success factor in PM. Finally, Hair and Sarstedt (2021) state that forecasting is a fundamental step toward improving the relevance and accuracy of project management research. Kiani and Standing (2018) explore the critical factors influencing project management success. Alsaadi and Acar (2019) indicates that procurement management has a vital influence on the project management triangle, especially on cost, time, and quality management. Thus, applying quantitative and qualitative methods in the above studies, it is possible to analyze the impact of project sustainability on project success. Accordingly, after analyzing the research, it can be found that the success of projects increases during sustainable management.
Critical Review
Chow et al. (2021) argue that sustainable project management strongly impacts project success and planning. It helps realize the goals of managing the realization of achievable benefits, especially in the project phases. Planning identifies and mitigates risks and connects with teams and shareholders who have certain credits that contribute to sustainable management. Environmental, social, and economic aspects can play a key role in guiding sustainable project management in an organization.
Carvalho and Rabechini (2017) confirm a direct correlation between project sustainability management and success. Although there are many studies in the literature on this topic, none mention factors that are directly dependent on sustainability. In turn, Carvalho and Rabechini (2017) suggest a comprehensive list of such elements: safety/health, maintainability, resources used, and leadership in energy and environmental design. Thus, a sustainable approach can help improve project success and reduce negative social and environmental impacts.
Moreover, managers have a crucial role in sustainability and sensation. Sabini and Alderman (2021) report that the professions are experiencing considerable modifications in incorporating social and environmental objectives into their substance matters. The critique of this investigation is to reconsider projects that conceive an endurable development or assistance rather than assignments that integrate sustainability into their processes. The publications explained this misconception by exemplifying that sustainable project management refers to benefits.
As the industry changes, project managers face new challenges and constraints, taking on roles that were not traditionally their responsibility. Implementing sustainability encompasses project management policies, processes, and social, environmental, and financial aspects (Todorovich and Obradovic, 2021). A project may have different goals that are not fully incorporated into the original goals and require specific changes. It makes the position of the project manager very influential – according to (Khalife, Dunay, and Balint, 2021), he acts as an agent of change. From their point of view, implementing sustainability principles is very important for each management subprocess. It confirms the hypothesis that sustainability in project management is meaningful for all life cycle stages, from project initiation to closure.
Martens and Carvalho (2016) discussed key sustainability variables in project management and examined their impact on project success. This source is undoubtedly useful, as it classifies the main factors affecting the potential success of a project. At the same time, the authors investigated the relationship between the variables and their influences in different sectors and projects. Significantly, Kiani and Standing (2018) explore the critical factors influencing project management success. The authors centered on the way they view the main critical factors and, based on them, contribute to the prosperity of companies. Thus, it can be summarised that if properly identifying the main critical factors and working effectively, it is possible to gain a better result than controlling all success factors simultaneously.
Martínez-Perales et al. (2018) have focused on ways to make project management an effective tool for success. The study addresses two main issues: the possibility of considering management systems standards as a tool for practicing sustainability and defining sustainability as a success factor in PM. Significantly, a clear relationship was established between management systems standards and sustainability. Concerning the relationship between sustainability and success in projects, the article shows how organizational aspects of a company help achieve the goals of the projects it develops.
Alsaadi and Acar (2019) suggest that feasible control of the rehabilitation of projects after natural calamities will lead to the productive use of materials and produce better results. The study indicates that procurement management has a vital influence on the project management triangle, especially on cost, time, and quality management. Collaborative management of shareholder associations, dialogue, and dangers is critical in managing an emerging scope in the remodeling of schemes following a calamity. Furthermore, recognizing the forecasts of different shareholders is a valuable tool for administrators to bring forward context-sensitive project policies. In addition, encouraging the active engagement of all main stakeholders acts as a way to advance a solid project opportunity definition. Finally, Hair and Sarstedt (2021) state that most project management studies focus exclusively on descriptive analyses. Implementing model evaluation procedures that involve both prediction and explanation is a fundamental step toward increasing the relevance and rigor of project management research.
Critical Evaluation of the Methodologies
Chow et al. (2021) utilized a qualitative method, a self-administered questionnaire using an online survey form. Respondents’ addresses were acquired from the Project Management Institute, and data were gathered from more inferior, middle, and upper-level project managers. The study developments demonstrated that sustainable planning is a critical contributor to maintaining success in the life cycle of the project management approach. The questionnaire method was appropriate and met the expectations of the research conducted. It provided a larger sample, contributing to more accurate results.
Carvalho and Rabechini (2017) conducted a study for empirical validation based on qualitative surveys. The respondents chosen for this study were project managers or team members in Brazil and Peru. The study used this method because of easy access to project data and respondents. The analysis was done ex-post-facto because perceptions of success can change over time. However, this approach is not appropriate because of the bias of non-probability sampling. Moreover, the sample was not probabilistically stratified by sector, country, company size, and project complexity, resulting in asymmetries between the categories, making it difficult to test the hypothesis associated with the control variables. Furthermore, the study design retrospectively does not allow the analysis of project sustainability management in the different life cycle phases, which prevents a full analysis of the research survey.
In addition, Sabini and Alderman (2021) investigated the tensions faced by project managers in making trade-off decisions on appropriate responses using a qualitative methodology. It was grounded on semi-structured interviews with pivotal individuals in professional project management institutions. The interviews obeyed a common protocol, lasted thirty to ninety minutes, were registered, transcribed, anonymized, and positioned in NVivo11 for later evaluation. The semi-structured interviews were coded according to a style-based approach, which allowed first-order concepts to be derived from the individual response text. This method allowed for an in-depth examination of people’s knowledge and experiences about the topic (Dźwigoł 2019). At the same time, this method does not meet the study’s purposes because a qualitative analysis cannot make immediate causal connections between specific pressures and distinct reactions.
Todorovich and Obradovic (2021) used mixed methods in order to conduct the study. Statistical results were obtained by quantifying elements of project management. Respondents proved that the implementation of endurable project management is important for all sub-processes of project management, from initiation to closure. The results also indicate that executing sustainable project management impacts manager competencies because it greatly emphasizes behavioral aptitudes over contextual and specialized skills. To confirm or refute the previously formulated hypothesis, the authors used a qualitative method – interviews. They interviewed project managers in various industries, after which the questions were modified to get the most accurate answers. These methods are appropriate, so they allow for determining the relationship between sustainable management and managerial competence (Krajangsri and Pongpeng 2017). Furthermore, the symbiosis of qualitative and quantitative methods provided more accurate results.
Choosing the most appropriate method to answer the questions and achieve the research objectives is fundamental to the research process (Khalife, Dunay, and llles, 2021). The researchers used a quantitative method, evaluating statistical information for the study. This approach was appropriate because data allows for cross-analysis and triangulation of the resulting evidence, which permits going beyond impressions to provide evidence from multiple perspectives and increase the level of analysis. In addition, the study conducted exploratory case studies to determine the first contribution to a better understanding of the context and the value of its application. The method contributed to analyzing how hybrid approaches to project management affect success.
Martens and Carvalho (2016) presented qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis in this study. The professional panel was performed in two steps, with five specialists verifying the content and identifying the variables. A meeting was held with 11 professionals from 10 institutes in 6 different nations. Thus, the research data were analyzed using content analysis, descriptive statistics, and the analytic ranking process. That is, the authors chose appropriate methods because qualitative evaluation by experts contributed to the reduction of variables and improvement of the data column in this study. The quantitative evaluation used the analytic hierarchy process method with a forum with academic experts on project management and provided results to verify variables and theoretic constructs.
Hair and Sarstedt (2021) utilized a quantitative method of analysis as they applied statistical models. The authors examined a sample of data from 285 different studies in order to create regression and predict project success. Ordinarily, researchers use only descriptive methods, and the article evaluates models based on F-type and R2 statistics. Thus, it can be noted that it is the chosen method that allows accurate estimation of the sample and the formation of statistical predictions (Müller and Klein 2018). Exactly this determines the importance of the article for successful project management because the quantitative method of statistics allows for predicting the implementation of new solutions.
Kiani and Standing (2018) used quantitative and qualitative measures of success in their research. For example, they applied DEMATEL-ANP to determine CSF PM weight preference. Additionally, the authors interviewed 26 experts, engineers, and project managers in construction for an aggregate fuzzy direct link matrix. Experts with more than ten years of background in the field were also eligible for sampling. Although two methods were used in the article, and the authors could identify the main success factors, the limitation is that the study is only concerned with one area where management is applied (Chu and Ke 2017). That is, for completeness, it is also necessary to analyze the data provided by specialists with little experience and from different fields.
Already and Akar (2019) applied quantitative methods and highly structured questionnaires to investigate problems and sent them to project managers with experience in recovery projects after natural disasters. This entailed open-ended questions to allow the responders to provide in-depth feedback on their experiences, including both the problems they encountered and how they reacted on the field. Due to limited space, the authors applied a purposive sampling strategy to reach out to executives from different organizations and countries. They chose telephone, private meetings, and Skype interviews as methods of communication. Data collection entailed site visits by state agencies and local institutions. The disadvantage of this research is the access to limited resources and opportunities for comprehensiveness.
The article by Martinez-Perales et al. (2018) used a quantitative analysis method. It conducted a statistical analysis in order to establish the impact of four indicators (duration, budget, year of funding application, and management system certification) on the success of the project. The analysis indicates high multicollinearity among the regressors, which makes interpreting the results much more difficult. In addition, the number of factors observed is too limited (Buganová and Šimíčková 2019). It is also a disadvantage that the use of sustainability as a success factor was limited by the availability of certifications for the management systems considered as an indicator.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be deduced that introducing sustainable development principles into practice is critical for project management. It serves as a tool to implement a value-oriented strategy and achieve project success. Sustainable project management in the literature is presented in the form the achievement of effective results through the implementation of the concept under consideration and the measurement of value. It is a comprehensive approach focused on the creation and multiplication of long-term benefits. It is worth noting that recent studies often mention the introduction of sustainability principles in general in project management and the connection of the concept under consideration with the company’s life cycle. A critical review of the literature also demonstrates that environmental, social, and monetary aspects can play a critical function in driving sustainable project management in an organization.
Furthermore, elements such as safety, maintainability, resources used, and leadership are directly related to sustainability. Moreover, based on the publications, it can be summarized that it is crucial to focus on the critical factors that will lead to better results than concentrating on all elements simultaneously. Organizational aspects of the company that contribute to the achievement of goals and sustainability are correspondingly important. Previous researches also confirm the fact of obligatory participation of a manager in the process of project development. They argue that he is a key figure on whom changes directly depend. Therefore, the manager must quickly adapt to the new conditions and the goals he will set.
However, a large number of studies in this field use only descriptive analysis, while evaluation procedures are insufficient. Furthermore, due to the lack of suitable material, the project system that contributes to the functioning of the concept under consideration at the business level is insufficiently formed and secured. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the development of a sustainable development project management strategy to formulate the organizational structure and methods of project systems to implement the concept under consideration.
Search Plan
For this report, the following search plan was applied:
- Word and phrase searches were used as information retrieval techniques. Words were entered into the search engine individually and with the help of “and,” “or,” thus narrowing or expanding the search. The main keywords of the selected topic are sustainability, success, project management, manager, and life-cycle.
- For the study, I used the Google Scholar system, which contains many scientific articles on this topic.
- Evaluation of results: all selected articles were written in the last five years, which means they are relevant. They are chosen exclusively from scientific sources, which have many requirements for the publication of the work by the author. Furthermore, they are taken from sources whose specifications are on project management.
- For research, I made charts, thus distinguishing the key phrases of one or another author. It helped not confuse the sources and determine exactly what features each research article had. I also downloaded all the articles on the computer and gave them a special name, which helped me not get disorganized and clearly understand the source I needed to work on. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, the selected articles were written no more than five years ago, so their relevance is guaranteed.
Charts
Reference List
Alsaadi, O. and Acar, E. (2019) Challenges of post-disaster reconstruction projects: an empirical investigation according to project management knowledge areas. American Journal of Management, 21(4), pp.67-77.
Buganová, K. and Šimíčková, J., (2019) Risk management in traditional and agile project management. Transportation Research Procedia, 40, pp.986-993.
Carvalho, M. and Rabechini Jr, R. (2017) Can project sustainability management impact project success? An empirical study is applying a contingent approach. International Journal of Project Management, 35(6), pp.1120-1132.
Chow, T.C., Zallani, S., Rahman, M.K., Qlamman, Z., Bhulyan, M.A. and Patwary, A.K. (2021) Impact of sustainable project management on the manufacturing firm’s project plan and project success: structural model assessment. PloS One, 16(11), p.e.0259819-0259819. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259819
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Krajangsri, T., and Pongpeng, J. (2017). Effect of Sustainable Infrastructure Assessments on Construction Project Success Using Structural Equation Modeling. Journal of Management in Engineering, 33(3), pp. 1-12.
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Martínez-Perales, S., Ortiz-Marcos, I., Juan Ruiz, J., and Lázaro, F.J. (2018). Using certification as a tool to develop sustainability in project management. Sustainability, 10, 1408.
Müller, R. and Klein, G., (2018) What constitutes a contemporary contribution to Project Management Journal?
Sabini, L. and Alderman, N. (2021) The paradoxical profession: project management and the contradictory nature of sustainable project objectives. Project Management Journal, 52(4), pp.379-393.
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