Incorporating Sustainability Thinking into Project Management
PMI is now working on the 5th Edition of its Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK(R)) Guide, and an update to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
These documents set the standard for project management worldwide in many ways. So there are two reasons this is important to sustainability:
1. Efforts to improve sustainability (ecological, social, and economic) are done via projects!
2. All projects (and all project managers) can benefit from sustainability thinking.
It’s urgently important that the PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition take an integrated approach to PM sustainability, and that the integrated approach is also reflected in an updated Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
We urge the PMI to take action on already-submitted detailed community-based proposal for integrating sustainability thinking into the existing 9 knowledge areas and 5 process groups.
We, the undersigned, urge the PMI to integrate sustainability thinking into the 5th Edition PMBOK(R) Guide and the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
Proposals have already been submitted to the PMI which will help project managers understand the concepts of ecological, social, and economic sustainability. The proposals call not for any burdensome new knowledge areas or radical changes to the process groups, but rather thoughtful checkpoints at which a PM is made aware of sustainability aspects of their project.
Please take these proposals fully into account when creating the 5th Edition PMBOK (R) Guide and the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
Thank you.
