Green Business is Good Business
As climate change and environmental issues continue to dominate headlines and influence legislation, there is growing recognition in the business world that waste reduction and resource efficiency is not just about corporate and social responsibility. Consequently, business leaders are increasingly focussing their efforts on reducing their carbon footprint and capitalising on the commercial benefits that come from the improved use of resources.
However, a common issue for business is that it is not always clear how to implement greener objectives into existing processes, or demonstrate that they have done so. If project management is the instrument for delivering change in your organisation then it can help in both of these areas.
Theres a great fit as project management is all about rationalising and making efficiencies; youre already looking at ways to do things quicker, cheaper, better…why not greener? Importantly, you can embed green policies into existing project management procedures without serious disruption to front-line functions.
The procedures that are integral to Project Management will also generate positive records of compliance with process, and performance against targets. These records will become increasingly important, whether you are working to achieve ISO 14001 accreditation, want to demonstrate compliance with a CSR policy or anticipate legislative changes like the Carbon Reduction Commitments set out in Climate and Energy White Paper.
Getting Started
Most project proposals will make a business case for delivering change; so modify your business case structure to include a green factor for all options under consideration. For example, if you want to reduce business travel, include an assessment of the travel requirements for each option. You may not be ready to select an option based on green factors alone, but it will positive evidence that green factors have been included in the assessment.
Change Control
Add a green factor to the impact analysis of change. Project management teams are accustomed to assessing impact on budgets or plans, and it should be possible to indicate what the environmental impact of the change will be against the baseline of the previously agreed specification. Change responses can also be assessed against green criteria; for example, if the benefits of two possible responses are broadly comparable, but one is based on using an existing resource, then that could be the one to recommend. As your project managers record the output of change decisions, this also generates evidence of compliance.
Assurance
Include targets for reduction and recycling to all projects, and gather performance information against those targets through project assurance. This will only require you to add a couple of standard questions to your regular assurance sessions, such as: Where is the evidence of an active approach to resource re-use and reduction?”. If you are following an assurance process anyway, this is an additional way to demonstrate that your CSR commitments are embedded in day-to-day actions.
Benefits Management
Translate the performance indicators established in your corporate plan into a set of metrics that can be used to quantify the benefits of green practices. For example, if you want to go paperless, any project that produces a new process should be challenged to keep it digital, with electronic document review and no printing. The effectiveness of this approach can then be evaluated and, if effective, integrated into other business processes. The output of benefit reviews will also provide solid evidence that your environmental policy runs deeper that the LCD monitor its flashing on.
Risk Management and Lessons Learned
Add green to your risk registers. Project managers are accustomed to classifying business or strategic risks and by identifying green risks you ensure that you are both well positioned to minimise the negative impact of a green risk and maximise a green opportunity. By also adding a green category to your lessons learned logs, you can help your organisation to integrate proven practices.
With a few straightforward modifications, you can utilise your existing project management processes to establish an effective vehicle for delivering change and implementing green objectives, while providing the positive evidence required for compliance and performance audits.
Mike Saville, Consultant, ILX Group plc
This article first appeared on www.businessgreen.com
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