A project can be delivered on time, on budget, and within scope, and still leave behind damaged trust, exhausted people, and little lasting value. In this Monthly Talk on sustainability in project management, Haikal El Abed challenged traditional definitions of project success with the “Invisible Failure” pattern.
Haikal argued that sustainability should not be a secondary consideration but a core element of risk management, value creation, and continuity. Through the concept of “Sustainability-by-Default,” he presented a mindset shift in which sustainability is embedded in decision-making from the outset rather than added afterward.
Drawing on international experience, he showed how sustainability can be integrated into everyday project management without adding unnecessary complexity, and how charters, governance, procurement, and delivery strategies can be designed for long-term, sustainable outcomes. A highlight was a set of practical decision-making prompts that project managers can apply in real time, moving sustainability from theory to action. The session closed with an engaging exchange of ideas.
Featured in Newsletter Quarter 1, 2026
