New global research from the Project Management Institute (PMI) and Green Project Management (GPM®) has found that sustainability is now the strongest predictor of project success, outperforming traditional delivery factors such as governance structures, methodologies and other established project management practices.
The research, Executing Sustainability Strategy: When Ambition Meets Reality, highlights a growing gap between ambition and execution. While 79% of professionals believe sustainability positions their organizations for long-term success, only 41% say it is fully integrated across projects and functions.
It also reveals a significant confidence gap between leadership and delivery teams: 85% of sustainability executives believe their organizations will achieve their sustainability goals, but confidence drops to 43% among PMO leaders and just 20% among project professionals.
The report identifies several barriers that keep organizations from closing the gap: difficulty quantifying sustainability benefits, weak integration into decision-making, inconsistent implementation, and sustainability priorities being set aside under delivery pressure.
To help address these challenges, PMI and GPM launched the Certified Sustainable Project Professional (CSPP)™ certification and e-learning program on World Environment Day. The program equips project professionals with practical tools and frameworks to embed sustainability into day-to-day project decisions, from planning and risk management to execution and measurement.
PMI MENA shared the findings with the region’s chapters. As the research makes clear, success will not be determined by the quality of sustainability commitments alone, but by the ability to execute them.
