Sustainability was increasingly being integrated into organisational strategy as a driver of competitiveness, resilience and corporate reputation. However, many businesses continued to face challenges in translating their sustainability commitments into the way they selected, governed and delivered their projects.
In her presentation at the 10th Project Management Conference, entitled “Building Your Organisation’s Sustainable Project Delivery System”, Miriam Lanzetta, PMP, CSPP, Head of International Projects at Lascò, presented a practical framework for creating the organisational conditions that support sustainable project management.
Her approach was based on six interconnected areas: governance, activities, tools, services, stakeholder networks and continuous improvement. Drawing on applications in international PMO environments, the speaker explored ways to assess and strengthen each area, with the aim of identifying gaps, inconsistencies and opportunities for practical interventions.
Miriam Lanzetta noted that while 99% of CEOs intend to maintain or expand their sustainability commitments, only 4.3% of projects actually take into account their environmental, social and economic impacts.
To bridge this gap, she stressed that sustainability must actively shape every stage of a project, from selection and planning through to delivery and final evaluation.
In this context, the PMO must act as the “orchestrator” of the system, connecting strategy with project teams and stakeholders. She also emphasised that implementation should begin with simple, user-friendly tools and the co-creation of processes.
She presented specific actions, including the integration of ESG criteria into project gates, the use of systems thinking tools (such as the Iceberg Model and Backcasting), and the development of a catalogue of strategic, tactical and operational services. These initiatives could be adapted to each organisation’s level of maturity and implemented progressively over the short, medium and long term.
The speaker addressed the 10th Project Management Conference, organised by the PMI Cyprus Chapter.
