PDU Opportunities
The Green MovementUsing consistent best practices, Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential holders lead the eco-friendly, sustainability trend.
In 2008, business advisory group Grant Thornton International released its International Business Report that showed 56 percent of privately-held global companies have formally adopted transparent corporate social responsibility policies. These policies encourage ethical behavior on issues such as the environment.
To help them reap the benefits of green initiatives, many organizations rely on PMP credential holders.
Bring Your Project Skills
José Carlos Machicao Valencia, PMP, an independent project manager in Lima, Peru, knows first hand the impact of environmental awareness on project managers. He sometimes works for the Peruvian government, which, to do its part for social responsibility, created a ministry of the environment earlier this year.
When he started working for the government, there were not sufficient enough regulations to help the country reach its green objectives that included limiting gas exhaust. They needed to invest in employees who could help execute their plan and manage the process, so they sought PMP credential holders.
According to Mr. Machicao, it has become a challenge for project managers to help companies go green.
“The project manager is in a better position, compared to other professionals, to define accurately the scope of the improvement or calculate cost-benefit analyses regarding quality or risk,” he says.
Manage Communication
Many of the socially responsible projects that international project management training and consulting firm Cadence Management Corp., Portland, Oregon, USA, undertakes involve working with the public.
“Working with a community, typically with non-profit projects, requires a different kind of care. Emotion can create commotion, if you don’t manage communication well,” says Connie Plowman, PMP, chief operating officer, Cadence.
Often, there is a fear of the unknown, Ms. Plowman says. That fear makes communication vital to ensure you articulate the solid facts and dispel opinions and rumors that can lead to chaos.
Use Environmental SMEs
When managing green projects, it is also important to recognize that you cannot know everything about environmental issues, says Heath Naquin, PMP, co-founder and managing director of Green Technology Alliance, an energy-efficient project consultancy in Austin, Texas, USA.
Mr. Naquin encourages project managers to develop a roster of environmental subject matter experts (SMEs) to call upon when needed. For example, Mr. Naquin calls solar-design, building-design and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified professionals to assist with his green projects.
How PMP Credential Holders Help
Since they still represent a newer trend, green projects often fall victim to scope creep because stakeholders may not know what they want, making a clear project charter critical.
Mr. Naquin says that PMP credential holders have studied and are prepared for such circumstances. PMP credential holders develop solid project charters that can be used to review metrics and emphasize goals and deliverables.
“PMPs use a very codified process to make sure everyone’s on the same page, and to manage expectations and changes to the project scope,” he says.
Organizations are moving forward with the green initiative because they see the long-term benefits—and PMP credential holders are helping them get there.
Interested in going green? Look for the October issue of PM Network® which will be dedicated to corporate social responsibility and sustainability.
