Why Social Impact Matters

As the world navigates its way through pandemic-driven uncertainty, the need for doing good resonates more than ever. The challenge lies in finding a way to bake the concept of positive social impact into all projects—not just the ones that fall under “corporate social responsibility.”

Project leaders appear ready for action: According to research conducted for this report, 8 in 10 project professionals list social impact as a personal concern, and 87 percent say social impact is a concern for their organization.

Every project has an impact—and increasingly it’s up to project leaders to make it a positive one. The same strategic mindset behind the drive for bottom-line results must also be applied to ensure projects create a better world.

Whether it’s eradicating hunger or promoting economic growth, delivering social change through The Project Economy is the best way to move organizations—and the world—forward.

Do the right thing. Do the smart thing. 

Here are three ways project leaders at forward-thinking organizations make positive social impact happen:

Discover a Competitive Edge

 • Generating positive social impact not only improves the communities we live in—it can help companies boost the bottom line and retain top talent.

Make It a Strategic Priority

 • Emphasizing careful, intentional planning and securing stakeholder support from inside and outside the organization ensures positive social impact is ingrained in the company DNA.

Measure the Influence

• Just like other intended benefits, positive social impact must be tracked and measured to make sure initiatives deliver their intended value. Teams must anticipate and mitigate any negative social impact, too.

Read the full Pulse of the Profession report, which includes the top 10 social good initiatives from PMI’s 2020 Most Influential Projects.