Project Sustainability

Executive summary This module is not a detailed study of altogether(a) aspects of aimability. The goal of this module is a commonplace introduction into sustainability with a focus on the jar and the force-out on drops University of gray Queensland 2 MGT8021 mold sustainability way passim their sprightliness span. With this knowledge it should be possible for you to identify, take c be and cover the key restorations connect to definition and put upy of drifts that adhere to current concepts of sustainability, and how to architectural plan for the sustainment of those chucks without their sustenance span.The concept of sustainability is explored in terms of consumption of resources this potbelly contain to inputs that are conveyd to the depict system in order to deliver the honk outcomes, the processes by which the throw off is managed, and the nature of the outputs and their book for resources passim their expedient life span. A mountain chain of r un across sectors is dole outed in order to understand the different implications for each sector. Also, it essential be remembered that sustainability works inside of a closed loop system.In any of your deliberations intimately sustainability and labour perplexity you must remember the need to maintain a systems undertake. 1. 1 Sustainability roll in the hays in a project environment Sustainability is a term that evokes emotion in population about certain events or practices that extend to our long term survival of ourselves and all former(a) aspects of our planet. We need to be adequate to(p) to work with this emotion and focus on what is cardinal in an objective and ruminative way. By their very nature projects use and affect more resources finishedout the life of the project.Some of these resources are consumed or adversely affected by the project. For example, if on that point was a project to build a new major airport, in that respect would be many issues to witness, and the issue is fucking their resolution be preserve for the life of the airport? So, the question we need to ask when addressing the project is washbowl this project be sustained and for how long? The resources needful to sustain the project whitethorn be physical ( raw(a) resources) or they might simply be people (human resources). They could also accept local resources as well as imported resources.As a result there are many dimensions of sustainability to consider in a project environment. In 1983 the United Nations World re contributeation on Environment and Development (WCED) convened under Gro Harlem Brundtland a commission to address the growing concern about the accelerating deterioration of the human environment and indispensable resources and the consequences of that deterioration for economic and social festering. This became known as the Brundtland Commission. The Brundtland Commission delimitate sustainable development in its 1987 Report titled Our Common early asSustainable development is development that fancys the ineluctably of the present without conciliatory the ability of time to come day generations to meet their own needs (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987) A full copy of the report is uncommitted at http//www. un- rolls. net/wced-ocf. htm There are other definitions but this nonpareil is much use as the service line definition. The question that needs to be proactively addressed as we nerve at the resources required to construct and sustain a project, pull up stakes it be possible to sustain current and future resources? There are two aspects of sustainability to a project.In the design and construction phases of the project, resources of all kinds are consumed. Similarly, during its operational life there is a need to University of Southern Queensland MGT8021 Project sustainability commission 3 support resources so that the project can continue to operate profitably and efficient ly throughout its life. This through life provision of resources is also known as the sustainment phase. This term is used by Defence, but it is also being used in the wider commercial-grade areas. Blanchard (p. 350) provides a short description about sustaining system maintenance and adjudge functions.But, to sustain these functions requires a capability to provide the range and understanding of operate for the expected life of the project, including extensions. We often think of project life in terms of years, but, more than likely, it leave alone be decades or in the gaffe of dams, centuries. So, it is important in terms of the project to understand the life of the project as well as the sustaining events for it. When dealing with terms that can put on meanings depending upon the context of the situation as well as the effectiveness for emotion, it is important to have a sound base on which to use the word, and to be able to defend its usage.A search of the Oxford English Dictionary shows that sustainability first appeared in the mid-1960s in a form that is consistent with contemporary usage. Its usage in the context of sustainable development is first referenced in 1972. So, it is a relatively new word. The On-Line Oxford English Dictionary defines sustainable development as follows sustainable development n. (a) Econ. economic development which can be sustained in the long term (b) Ecol. utilization and development of natural resources in ways which are compatible with the maintenance of these resources, and with the conservation of the environment, for future generations.When developing a project it is incumbent to be able to arrange the current and future needs of the project and the ability of the providers of the future to meet those needs. To im dissipate out the sustainment work of maintenance leave require facilities and workshops of different sources. Although these are skilful designs, they are controlled by other positionors much( prenominal) as planning laws. Therefore, to start developing a definition for sustainability we need to start by considering the wider meaning of sustainable development. rendition activity 1. 1 Selected course session 1. is the Sustainable Development Guidelines for the Brisbane City Council which is a large local government body in Queensland Australia (Brisbane City Council 2005). This reading will provide more indepth detail about sustainable development as required by a local government bureau. On completion of this reading, carry out research to find out what your local government authority requires in terms of sustainable development. Compare the two approaches. Selected reading 1. 2 is a paper based on the work done by the Western Australia government on sustainability (Hartz-Karp & Newman 2006).Governments at all levels have an beguile in sustainable development, and this paper describes the issues in setting up a sustainability program from first principles. After com pleting these readings, weigh on the wider issues of sustainability and the sustaining outcomes depict by Blanchard. Can you identify the links between the different needs? University of Southern Queensland 4 MGT8021 Project sustainability worry 1. 2 Reporting sustainability inclined the diverse industries involved in projects, it would be strong to have relative and transparent report without round form of consistent process.This is achieved though the worldwide Reporting Initiative (GRI) (Global Reporting Initiative 2008). The GRI is the world de facto standard on sustainability coverage. This is achieved though a set of guidelines, currently known as the G3. The pop the question of these guidelines is for organizations to report their social, economic and environmental performance as routinely and with the uniform discipline as the financial reports. Many organizations routinely report on their sustainability credentials using the GRI G3 guidelines as the reporting standard.Reading activity 1. 2 lumber onto www. globalreporting. org and familiarize yourself with the general content of the site. Read the G3 Guidelines to appreciate the range and depth of issues addressed in sustainability reporting. As can be seen from the G3 Guidelines, reporting imposes a significant workload on an organization. Also, as this is an important communication document for the organization, some industries can expect to have their sustainability report critically evaluated by hosts inwardly the community. Reading activity 1. 3Log onto websites for large organizations such as those suggested on a lower floor and do internal searches for sustainability. Read these approaches and reports and see the extent to which this work is done. Now, if you were on a project within an organization such as this, with these reporting requirements, how would you approach this work? ? BHP Billiton at www. bhpbilliton. com ? Rio Tinto at www. riotinto. com ? Hydro Tasmania at www. hydro. com. au 1. 3 Sustainability impacts on management of projects Projects do not occur in a vacuum. They occur in a parentage environment that is closely monitored by many people.Many of these people have no direct involvement on the project, but they are interested in it because of the way it could affect their lifestyle or the natural environment in some way. Traditionally, we talk about the shareholders of a project. Increasingly, business is being forced to consider Triple make grow across line (TBL) reporting. In this paradigm, shareholders are replaced by stakeholders. From a project management approach it is now necessary to make sure that a broader range of stakeholders than just shareholders is clearly identified. It is now University of Southern QueenslandMGT8021 Project sustainability management 5 necessary to address the needs of stakeholders other than just shareholders, and these could be competing interests. Reading activity 1. 4 Read selected reading 1. 3 on sustainability in business (Dorf 2001). Consider the added requirements that emerging sustainability issues are placing on business. How do these issues arouse included in the overall budget for a project? As a project has a future life, it is not equi add-in decorous to reinvent the past. It is necessary that you be able to consider future issues.These may be unclear early in the life of a project but, you need to attempt to develop some idea of what sustainability issues will impact the future of the project. For example, a project might be a suburban rail system with an expected life of 40 years. How do you plan for appropriately trained people to maintain the system over the 40 years? One of the most critical aspects of through life project sustainability is obsolescence. The obsolescence could be in the form of parts, tools, facilities, or skills. At a higher(prenominal) level, obsolescence could be due to the technology or societal factors.An example is the destruction of societys acceptance of coal-fired power stations over the perish few years. Obsolescence management is an important aspect of project management sustainability and requires thoroughly skills in understanding technology from all aspects. You need to be able to anticipate the changes that are likely to happen. This anticipation will usually hope upon reading about relevant and complementary topics as well as seeking specialized opinions. The reference list includes book of ac look ats that provide approaches to future issues and problems.Even though it may seem unrealistic at this time, carefully crafted future thought process may position your project far ahead of anything else at that time. The book Cradle to Cradle (McDonough & Braumgart 2002) is a good example of addressing the challenges we need to address. In the classic through-life approach we talk about cradle to the grave to reflect that at the end of its useful life, equipment is disposed of in some way. In the cra dle to cradle concept the emphasis is on designing products and their promotion so that at the end of useful life they are regenerated, kind of than just discarded thoughtlessly.Remaining Useful Life (RUL) is one of the measures of performance that is often used to asses an asset. This is usually calculated on classical economic bases to get the most profitable life out of an asset. However, it may be that other criteria included in the G3 or Triple Bottom Line reporting are the strikers of the Remaining Useful Life of the project. When considering the sustainability impact on projects it is necessary to take a systems view and think proactively about the through-life sustainability issues of a project.Just because the issue seems unrealistic at this time, does not mean that it could not turn into a significant problem to resolve in the future. That is, significant management problems may be created for the future. University of Southern Queensland 6 MGT8021 Project sustainabil ity management 1. 4 Sustainability considerations for project sectors In a practical sense, sustainability issues are driven by environmental bear upon recitals. There are two broad considerations statutory and conscious.In some projects (such as mining) there is a statutory requirement to perform an environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and publish the findings in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Dont get caught up in the actual terms, as there is little consensus on what constitutes an EIA or an EIA. In most cases, it will be decided by the circumstances of the project. On other projects there may not be any statutory requirement however, disposed the attitude of the community towards major projects, there may be a need for voluntary consideration of the issues addressed in Environmental Impact Statement requirements.It is not possible to identify all considerations for all sectors and table 1. 1 provides a summary of the key general considerations to be addressed. ge t across 1. 1 Environmental considerations by project sector Sector Considerations air power Air worthiness, passenger comfort, passenger safety, reputation Property Physical appearance, occupant safety, man safety Engineering Design strength, maintenance, maintenance support, integrity pedestal Service provision, public safety, extremely long life Software Media, programme skills, configuration, documentationQuite often there are numerous regulations that prescribe the issues to be considered for sustainability. This is achieved through environmental investigations into a particular project. The Wyaralong Dam is a new project to build a dam near Beaudesert, south of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. This project requires an Environmental Impact Statement, the details of which are available at http//www. deedi. qld. gov. au/cg/wyaralong-dam-project. html Log onto the URL above and skim through the domain of considerations for such a project. Now, log onto the URL below for a fact sheet on environmental impact statements http//www. pa. qld. gov. au/register/p00320aa. pdf era at this site navigate to the various links to obtain a wider perspective of the considerations of the environmental impact statements. Focus on the first common chord elements of this fact sheet. University of Southern Queensland MGT8021 Project sustainability management 7 ? assess the potential adverse and beneficial environmental, economic, and social impacts of the project ? provide information to the public about the project and its impacts ? obtain input from the community and stakeholders about the project, its impacts and managementThese three elements address the core considerations that need to be addressed to licence the sustainability of the project. Although there are many elements listed in the fact sheet, it is realistic to put one across that if these three elements are not done correctly the project will find progress unvoiced for a number of reasons not associ ated with the technical aspects of the project. A significant issue that faces global organizations is to ensure that the sustainability considerations for projects that are effective in one jurisdiction are not illegal in another jurisdiction.Many larger organizations have Codes of Practice or Codes of Conduct to go steady an independent legal authority that the integrity of their processes is compliant. Assuring project sustainability in your sector may fall into this realm of compliance reporting. You will need to find out to ensure that this matter is addressed otherwise it poses a significant legal and financial risk to the organization. That is, how do the governance responsibilities and accountabilities drive the requirements for sustainability considerations in your sector?To consolidate your understanding of sustainability considerations you should explore the statutory and voluntary considerations for project sustainability in your local area. 1. 5 Draft a sustainability illustration for a project A lay is the description of reality. However, as many different people will have a diverse science of reality, it is often difficult in a consensus environment developing a feigning. The risk adverse approach is to adopt a stumper authentic by another group and adapt or adopt it for the groups purpose. Sometimes this will work and sometimes it will not.Even with these difficulties it is tranquillise beneficial to consider the elements of a sustainability model. Reading activity 1. 5 Selected reading 1. 4 is a report on a national sustainability initiative. Sustainability models can take many forms and have different starting points, and an example of this is the Australian National Sustainability Initiative (ANSI) (Australian National Biocentre Inc. 2004). Look at the cover photo. It shows the larboard between urban and un-developed land, with a creek as the boundary. If you look at the creek you will notice that it is a series of water holes.Now, count how many swimming pools are located in the adjoining mystic residences. Can our water courses sustain private swimming pools? Read through this initiative and form your own views about whether this document offers a baseline as a suitable model for sustainability? If it does how and why if it does not how and why not? University of Southern Queensland 8 MGT8021 Project sustainability management The basic model for sustainability is based on the balance between economics, ecology and society. Dorf (2001) paragraph 2. 3 addresses this triple bottom line approach. figure 1. 1 provides an approach to a general model for sustainability. Figure 1. 1 The interdependence of economics, ecology and society (Source Dorf 2001, p. 43) In this model the three elements of triple bottom line accounting are divided into four main groups of corporation, cultural valuates, community, and person. These groups are further subdivided into xii components to be considered. In your current or fu ture experience you will come across models with more than 100 components. Dorf (2001, p. 51) lists ten principles of sustainable business practices.There practices were developed by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economics (CERES). In these examples from Dorf we see approaches to models based on a relatively few components. In drafting a model it is suggested that you work with 1012 components to remark it understandable. If there are too many components it will be difficult to maintain comprehension of what is being modeled and this will make it difficult to communicate your model. Key aspects will get lost in the minutia of the detail. The cardinal points proposed in jut1. are analogous to the standard twelve points of the compass, and this makes it easy to present to a wider audience. Other approaches to a model include the G3 reporting modeling (Global Reporting Initiative 2008). The G3 describes how sustainability should be reported and this makes it a model in its own right. But this is a very detailed approach and is plausibly better approached through a more general higher model such as in Figure 1. 1. When drafting a sustainability model it is necessary to collect as many approaches to a model as is possible and to make them as inclusive as possible.The key issue is to be able to find the balance for your project that is accepted by the wider stakeholders, and does not trivialize important issues. This might mean that you have to research many aspects of the project, other than its technical components in order to draft a good model. In the supplementary reading list are some(prenominal) titles that provide a range of views to consider when developing project management strategies and plans. University of Southern Queensland MGT8021 Project sustainability management 9 In this module we look at sustainability as a separate issue.However, it must be seen as part of the choice management system of an organization. ISO9000 is a se t of standards for quality management maintained by the International Organization for Standardization , and proposes figure 2. 1 as a model for the delivery of quality within an organization. Sustainability is part of the quality system and should not be treated independently from it or exclude it. In this context, the quality system should also include project management standards such as those in the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) (Project Management Institute 2004).Thus, the key drivers in the project are addressed through the one paradigm of quality. Figure 1. 2 Model of a process-based quality management system (Source ISO9000 2006, p. 3) In the quality diagram shown in figure 1. 2, the various stakeholders are clearly identified as input customers who are imposing requirements on the system. In the product realization phase, (the project) the requirements come to life and treated as part of the continuously improving aspects of the quality managemen t systems. For those who use Six Sigma processes in their organization, the same link is made.A model for sustainability should not be seen as a separate model, but inclusive of and derived for and from the quality management system. All of the sustainability issues and considerations that we have addressed can be addressed within the quality management system model. This is probably the most powerful model to represent the trueness of the organization to sustainability. Conclusions Projects are an important mechanism to deliver the goods and services of all types that we require for living. This also includes the delivery of goods and services in the aid of others or natural disasters. University of Southern Queensland 10 MGT8021 Project sustainability management Projects do not exist in a vacuum and impact on all aspects of society, economy and resources. This is represented by the triple bottom line approach to accounting, and this puts projects beyond the classic economic theo ry decision processes. There is change magnitude pressure on organizations to deliver projects that are more than simply good profit to the shareholders. The current and increasing requirement emphasizes the need to ensure that the project also brings benefits to society as a whole.To be able to consider this wider systems approach, it is necessary to proactively adopt an approach to projects that places correct emphasis on components that affect the sustainability of the project. These components could be as economically obtuse as placing high value on areas of biodiversity as the more measurable of higher levels of Earnings in advance Interest and Taxes (EBIT). Being able to successfully navigate through sustainability issues is an increasingly important skill of the project manager.