Keeping Sustainability Factors in Balance

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

  Sustainability  

When we talk about sustainability, most people jump to the idea of being “green.” The focus is on environmental issues, with topics like fossil fuels and recycling being frequently cited. And that’s all correct. But it’s incomplete. Sustainability is about three distinct areas:

• Environmental
• Social
• Economic

The goal is to meet the needs of the world today, without sacrificing the ability to continue to meet those needs in the future. To achieve that goal requires sustainable development practices—conscious choices that allow us to thrive today, but also allow the planet and future generations to thrive as well.

It can’t simply be about green initiatives. And to be fair, many organizations are now recognizing that. But recognition isn’t always translating into actions. There is still a long way to go before the three factors are in balance.

Multiple distinct variables
Before we look at the relationship between the different elements, let’s just focus on economic performance for a minute. That’s something that most project professionals have a pretty good handle on, even if they aren’t directly involved in business facing initiatives.

Anyone who has been a PM for any length of time will have experienced times when budgets were restricted, resources were limited, and the pressure to deliver …

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