Green project management

Green project management is all about considering environment and thinking green throughout the project and decision making process. Project manager plays an important role by applying “green” concepts to the project plan. For example, project manager can add a section for “environmental concerns” to the project charter. Under this section, he can add the project’s old equipment that could be recycled or re-used instead of burying them in a dumpster. Based on that, project manager should consider “seeking recycling company” as a project task.

Another example is issues management. In order to apply “green-think” to the process, project manager should add “environmental impacts” to the issues list. Project manager might include the impact of the tasks that are required to be done in the evening, like energy required to run air conditioning, extra electricity, lighting, water, etc. project stakeholders might take a decision to delay the project one or two days just to avoid working on evenings and reduce the resources.

Also project manager can establish green project management by following the suggested tips below:

  • Schedule projects appropriately and build the team adequately so that he minimizes the overtime and the added energy
  • Consider enlisting freelancers and sub-contractors who work from home, this might reduce energy consumption
  • Include recycling quotas in the team incentive program
  • Require documentation and reports to be submitted digitally, this might reduce paper consumption
  • Use network storage to share documents between stakeholders instead of distribute papers or CDs

A few examples of “green-think” KPIs could include:

  • Time saved
  • Energy reduced
  • Tons of Waste reduced
  • Gallons of water reduced

Based on the above, greening a project can help reduce the budget , reduce the time needed to complete a project, support the project team and increase a company’s reputation.

Source: http://www.greenprojectmanagement.org/the-gpm-blog/317-kpis-for-adopting-sustainability-strategy-and-objectives