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Procedia Computer Science 181 (2021) 1066–1076

CENTERIS - International Conference on ENTERprise Information Systems / ProjMAN -

International
CENTERIS Conference on Project
- International MANagement
Conference / HCist -Information
on ENTERprise International Conference
Systems on Health
/ ProjMAN -
and Social Care Information Systems and Technologies 2020
International Conference on Project MANagement / HCist - International Conference on Health
and Social Care Information Systems and Technologies 2020
The role of the Project Management Office in
The role of the Project
Sustainable Management
Project Office in
Management
Sustainable Project Management
Gilbert Silviusa*
a Gilbert Silviusa*
LOI University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands, and University of Johannesburg, South Africa
a
LOI University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands, and University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract
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© 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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2021 open
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(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Peer-review Systems
Information under responsibility of the scientific committee of the CENTERIS - / International Conference on ENTERprise
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the MANagement
/ ProjMAN – International Conference on Project HCist - International
CENTERIS - International Conference
Conference on Health
on ENTERprise
Information
and Social Systems
Care / ProjMAN
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Technologies
Information Systems
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Information – International
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and Technologies 2020on Project MANagement / HCist - International Conference on Health
and Social Care Information Systems and Technologies
Keywords: Project Management Office; Sustainability; Sustainable Project Management
Keywords: Project Management Office; Sustainability; Sustainable Project Management

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +31 6 50618051

E-mail address: mail@gilbertsilvius.nl
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +31 6 50618051
E-mail address: mail@gilbertsilvius.nl
1877-0509 © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open
1877-0509 access
© 2019 Thearticle under
Authors. the CC BY-NC-ND
Published license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
by Elsevier B.V.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the CENTERIS - International Conference on ENTERprise Information Systems /
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
ProjMAN
Peer-review– International Conference
under responsibility of theonscientific
Project MANagement / HCist
committee of the - International
CENTERIS Conference
- International on Health
Conference onand Social Care
ENTERprise Information
Information Systems /
Systems and Technologies
ProjMAN – International Conference on Project MANagement / HCist - International Conference on Health and Social Care Information
Systems and Technologies
1877-0509 © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the CENTERIS - International Conference on ENTERprise
Information Systems / ProjMAN - International Conference on Project MANagement / HCist - International Conference on
Health and Social Care Information Systems and Technologies 2020
10.1016/j.procs.2021.01.302
 Gilbert Silvius / Procedia Computer Science 181 (2021) 1066–1076 1067
2 Author name / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2019) 000–000

1. Introduction

The concerns about the sustainability of mankind’s impact on nature is one of the most important challenges facing
business and organizations today [9]. The 2019 annual survey of sustainable business leaders reports that CEOs are
pursuing the integration of sustainability into the strategic planning of their businesses [9]. Tulder et al. [66] describe
how an active or proactive approach towards sustainability influences a wide range of functional areas in the
organization, such as strategy, research and development, human resources management, supply chain management
and finance. The transition towards more sustainable business practices requires the changing of products, services,
business model, processes, policies and resources of companies [66], Projects play an instrumental role in
implementing these organizational changes and thereby the sustainable development of organizations and society [36].
Acknowledging the role projects play in the sustainable development of organizations and society, Silvius and
Schipper [61] conclude that the concepts of sustainability should be integrated in the way projects are planned,
organized, executed, managed and governed. This sustainability perspective on project management [57] evolved into
the concept of Sustainable Project Management, which is defined as “the planning, monitoring and controlling of
project delivery and support processes, with consideration of the environmental, economic and social aspects of the
life-cycle of the project’s resources, processes, deliverables and effects, aimed at realizing benefits for stakeholders,
and performed in a transparent, fair and ethical way that includes proactive stakeholder participation.” [61].
Several studies [1; 51; 61] report a growing number of studies that address the integration of sustainability into
project management and sustainable project management is considered one of the most important global project
management trends today [3]. However, a number of authors also observe a gap between the literature and what is
carried out in practice [43] or what is prescribed in standards of project management [55].
Within organizations, the project management office (PMO) plays a leading role in the standards, methods and
practices of project management [13]. The role of the PMO in sustainable project management is, however, still
unexplored. Our literature search did not deliver any studies that link the concept of sustainable project management
to the role of the PMO in organizations. It is this gap in knowledge that this conceptual paper is focusing on. How does
the concept of sustainable project management impact the responsibilities and tasks of the PMO in an organization?
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows. In the following paragraph, the concept of sustainable project
management and the responsibilities and tasks of the PMO will be described based on the literature on these topics.
The methodology of the study is revealed in paragraph 3 of this paper, after which the following paragraph will discuss
the impact of the concept of sustainable project management on the responsibilities and tasks of a PMO. The paper
will be concluded with a reflection on the findings.

2. Background literature

The role of PMOs in sustainable project management is still unexplored in academic literature. A literature search
on the combination of terms did not return a single usable study. The papers that discussed sustainability within the
context of PMOs, referred the sustainability/continuity of the PMO itself, which appears to be a challenge of many
PMOs (For example [26]). As literature on the role of the PMO in sustainable project management still have to emerge,
this paragraph will discuss the two main concepts, sustainable project management and PMO, independent of each
other.

2.1. Sustainable project management

The balance between economic growth and social wellbeing has been around as a political and managerial
challenge for over 150 years [16]. However, the more contemporary concerns about sustainability may have been
initiated by the book “The Limits to Growth” [39]. In the book, the authors concluded that if the world’s population
and economy would continue to grow at their current speeds, our planet’s natural resources would approach depletion.
The Limits to Growth fueled a public debate, leading to installation of the UN ‘World Commission on Development
and Environment’, named ‘the Brundtland Commission’ after its chair. In their report, the Brundtland commission
defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs” [68]. Behind the intertemporal focus of the definition, the requirement
1068 Gilbert Silvius / Procedia Computer Science 181 (2021) 1066–1076
Author name / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2019) 000–000 3

of a balance or harmony of different type of capitals is hiding [44]. Elkington refers to these different types of capital
as the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ (TBL) of economic, social and environmental perspectives [18]. “In its broadest sense,
sustainable development strategy aims at promoting harmony among human beings and between humanity and
nature” [68]. The vision that economic growth, social wellbeing or a wise use of natural resources, cannot be reached
in isolation, got widely accepted [33]. Sustainability is about the balance or harmony between economic, social and
environmental interests [18].
The 1990s saw an extension of the concept of sustainable development [64], when links were established between
sustainable development on societal level and sustainability in businesses [15]. Elaborating on the definition of
sustainable development of the Brundtland Commission, the International Institute for Sustainable Development
defined sustainable development within the context of business organizations as “Adopting business strategies and
activities that meet the needs of the enterprise and its stakeholders today while protecting, sustaining and enhancing
the human and natural resources that will be needed in the future.” [27]. This definition highlights the interests of
stakeholders, as an inseparable element of sustainable development on the microeconomic level [64].

Elaborating on the concepts of TBL and stakeholder orientation, more operational dimensions were added to the
consideration of sustainability in the context of organizations. Table 1 [59] provides an overview of these dimensions.

Table 1. Summary of the principles/dimensions of sustainability.

Principles/dimensions of sustainability Seminal sources

Sustainability is about balancing or harmonizing social, environmental and economic interests [18]
Sustainability is about both short-term and long-term orientation [39; 68]
Sustainability is about both local and global orientation [25]
Sustainability is about values and ethics [21; 28]
Sustainability is about transparency and accountability [28]
Sustainability is about stakeholder orientation [20]
Sustainability is about reducing risks [22]
Sustainability is about eliminating waste [6]
Sustainability is about consuming income, not capital [16]

Sustainable project management in the end evolves about behavior [58]. And despite this growing attention for
sustainability in project management, Økland [43] still observes a gap between the literature on sustainability in
project management and what is carried out in practice. Also Marcelino-Sádaba et al. [36] observe a “lack of
integration of sustainability and project management”. As the concept of sustainability is understood by instinct, but
difficult to express in concrete, operational terms [7], one reason for this may be the lack of practical knowledge, tools
and instruments [63]. Also within organizations, this operationalization of sustainability in project management is
challenging. “Organizations, nowadays are increasingly keen to include sustainability in their business. Project
management can help make this process a success but little guidance is available on how to apply sustainability to
specific projects.” [36:1].
Practical guidance has often been found to be a condition for effective behavior. This guidance should logically be
provided by the project management methodology, standards and practices, that are prescribed or supported within an
organization. And as the selection or definition of this methodology is typically the responsibility of a PMO [13], the
PMO plays a central role in the implementation of sustainable project management in an organization.

2.2. Project Management Office

The concept of a PMO is still under development and the clarity of its role lacks consensus [38]. While a PMOs
role can be defined by the responsibilities listed, it is the organization and its needs that determine the responsibilities
required of the PMO and in turn the benefits it provides to the organization. Each organization is different and has its
own problems to be solved and will form its PMO based on these. There is no one-size-fits-all set of responsibilities
 Gilbert Silvius / Procedia Computer Science 181 (2021) 1066–1076 1069
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for a PMO [67]. Nevertheless, several studies have addressed the ‘common denominator’ responsibilities and tasks of
a PMO. Table 2 provides an overview of responsibilities and tasks, organized in nine responsibilities.

Table 2. Overview of potential PMO responsibilities and tasks.

Responsibilities with potential tasks [13] [23] [26] [11] [46]

Project management methodology, standards and tooling
Develop or select a methodology for project management processes and methods     
Implement and operate an enterprise project information system     
Project Portfolio Management
Identify and develop new projects  
Develop a project prioritization model     
Develop and maintain a project scoreboard    
Monitoring and controlling project performance    
Report project status to upper management and provide advice     
Project and Program Management
Manage one or more projects or programs   
Benefits Realization Management
Benefits Management  
Conduct post-project reviews  
Human Resource Management
Human resource and staffing assistance   
Recruit, select, evaluate, and determine salaries for project managers 
Develop project management career and/or development path 
Allocate resources between projects   
Provide mentoring for project managers   
Training
Provide trainings and/or certifications for project managers     
Provide trainings and/or certifications for other project personnel  
Knowledge management / Organizational learning
Provide project reviews or audits     
Quality management assurance  
Conduct post-project reviews    
Implement and manage a database of lessons learned  
Implement and manage a risk database    
Project support and archiving
Manage archives of project documentation    
Project administrative support  
Provide a set of tools without an effort to standardize  
Consulting
Project management consulting 
Provide mentoring for project managers   
Organization change agency 
Promote project management within the organization    

Of these tasks and activities, the development of a project management methodology or standard for the
organization may be seen as a foundation for many of the other tasks, as “when all projects in the enterprise follow a
standardized template, then and only then will project management evolve gradually into an everyday way of life.”
(R.D. Simplot in [12]). This is expressed in Figure 1.
 Author name / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2019) 000–000 5
1070 Gilbert Silvius / Procedia Computer Science 181 (2021) 1066–1076

Figure 1.Graphical overview of potential PMO responsibilities.

The role of the PMO as the ‘owner’ of the project management methodology or standard of the organization, fits
the ‘Enterprise PMO’ model of the PMO, which is found as the most frequently suggested PMO model [41]. The
Enterprise PMO operates as the project management center of excellence that provides the organization enterprise
wide structure and support for projects and project management [24]. The Enterprise PMO ensures that project work
is congruent with the organization’s purpose, vision, mission, and strategic business plan [24], which also gives it a
responsibility in supporting the organization’s sustainability strategies.

3. Research approach

The contribution this study aims to make is to provide guidance on how a PMO can or should support sustainable
project management. Based on this practical orientation of the aim of the study and the observation that the role of
PMOs in sustainable project management is still unexplored, the author decided to apply a pragmatic interpretive
approach. In the pragmatic research paradigm, acceptable knowledge can be derived from either or both observable
phenomena and subjective meanings [52]. The study applied this by interpreting the implications of the definition and
literature on sustainable project management for the responsibilities and tasks of the PMO, by combining the concepts
and insights provided by literature and logical reasoning. Following the pragmatic paradigm, the output of the study
should be judged on its “fit” with its purpose, provide guidance on how a PMO can support sustainable project
management, and not on the “truth” or “true explanation” of the studied phenomenon, as is common in studies using
a positivist paradigm [4].
The role that a PMO can take in sustainable project management is discussed by using the structure of the earlier
identified responsibilities and tasks of a PMO (Figure 1) as a concept map. A concept map is “a schematic device for
representing a set of concept meanings embedded in a framework of propositions” [42:15]. Concept maps are an
important strategy in qualitative inquiry because they help the researcher focus on meaning [14].
As the relationship between sustainable project management and PMO has not developed yet, this pragmatic
interpretive approach, giving meaning to how sustainable project management can be integrated into the
responsibilities and tasks of a PMO from a conceptual, logical or moral point of view, makes sense.

4. The impact of sustainable project management on the responsibilities and tasks of the Project Management
Office

This paragraph will discuss the role an PMO can take in sustainable project management through the structure of
the earlier identified responsibilities and tasks of a PMO (Table 2).
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4.1. Project management methodology, standards and tooling

Developing and maintaining a project management methodology or standard is one of the most found
responsibilities of an (Enterprise) PMO [13; 24]. Having a standard methodology for project management is a basis
for the development of project portfolio management and organizational maturity in project management [35].
Organizational standards of project management are logically inspired by, or taken from, industry standards. And
although frequently used project management standards have been found to “fail to seriously address the sustainability
agenda” [17], the tide might be changing. The latest IPMA Competence Baseline, ICB4 [30], includes the competence
indicator “Identify, and ensure that the project complies with relevant sustainability principles and objectives”. The
description of this key competence indicator states that the project manager should be able to “assess the impact of
the project on the environment and society” and that she “researches, recommends and applies measures to limit or
compensate negative consequences”. Also the ISO 21505 standard on governance of project, programme and portfolio
management [29] refers explicitly to sustainability and states that “The governance of projects, programmes and
portfolios should reflect the organisation’s commitment to ethical values and sustainability”. However, both the ICB4
and ISO 21505 do not elaborate on how this competence should be filled in or applied, leaving room for interpretation
and misunderstandings.
This further elaboration is present in the sustainability oriented standard PRiSM, which stands for Projects
Integrating Sustainability Methods [10]. PRiSM integrates the consideration of sustainability into a generic project
management process by introducing a ‘sustainability impact analysis’ of the project, that feeds into a “Sustainability
Management Plan” (SMP) as part of the project planning documentation. Throughout the project life cycle the SMP
is managed and at the closure of the project the sustainability aspects of the project are reviewed in a meeting that
includes also the sustainability or CSR officer of the organization. A specific and new sustainable project management
methodology as PRiSM may not be adopted by the market quickly. However, it provides a model and a number of
methods and practices that can be an example for PMOs on how to integrate sustainability considerations in their
organizational project management methodologies and standards.

4.2. Project Portfolio Management

As projects are instrumental in implementing strategies [54], they are also instrumental in implementing an
organization’s sustainability ambitions and strategies. Aligning projects with organizational strategy is one of the tasks
of the project portfolio management process. Despite this relationship between strategy and project portfolio
management, literature fails to deliver frameworks that integrate sustainability strategies [8; 65] into the decision-
making process on projects [2]. Project portfolio management should play an important role in realizing the
sustainability strategy of organizations, however, fails to do so [53]. It is this missing link between sustainable strategy,
project portfolio management and project management that the PMOs should establish.
A central function of project portfolio management is decision making. These decision include the prioritization,
selection, reprioritization and termination of projects [34]. PMOs support this decision making by providing templates
and models for project proposals, business cases and project progress reports. PMOs also collect and structure
information about project proposals and projects being performed, and structure this information for the decision
making body in the organization. The preparation of project proposals for decision making often includes the scoring
of the proposals on a prioritization model [23], which is developed and maintained by the PMO. Linking project
portfolio management to the organization’s sustainability strategy would require that the PMO includes sustainability
criteria, derived from the organization’s sustainability strategy, in the business cases of proposed new projects and the
prioritization model that is used for prioritizing these project proposals. And following the integration of sustainability
into the organization’s project management methodology, sustainability criteria should also be integrated into the
progress and performance reporting of projects that are being executed.
Next to impacting the information that is used in the project portfolio management process, may the consideration
of sustainability also impact the decision making process itself [53]. Project portfolio management is generally still
based on a linear approach, implying that a portfolio can be identified, tracked and managed in the context of a known,
set goal [65]. Sustainability issues, also on the level of organizations, are complex ‘wicked’ problems [45] that cannot
1072 Gilbert Silvius / Procedia Computer Science 181 (2021) 1066–1076
Author name / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2019) 000–000 7

be solved by structured deductive reasoning, but that require ‘messy’ consultation among various stakeholders [19].
In this consultation process, the PMO could play a facilitating role.

4.3. Project and Program Management

The operational management of projects and programs provides an opportunity for the PMO to apply the developed
project management methodology for sustainable project management, in practice and to build experience. This
experience is valuable for the development of the PMOs own competence in sustainable project management, as the
topic is still in development.

4.4. Benefits Realization Management

Improved realization from benefits is reported to be one of the effects of an PMO [49]. One way PMOs enable
benefits realization management is by providing methods for benefit identification and assessment, as part of the
business cases of proposed projects. The integration of sustainability considerations into the business cases, driven by
the integration of sustainability considerations into the organization’s methodology of project management and project
portfolio management, logically also reflects in the identification of benefits of projects [56]. The costs, benefits and
business case of a project will need to be expanded to include also non-financial factors that refer to for example social
or environmental aspects.
The role of the PMO in benefits realization management is not limited to the templates and methods used in the
business cases of project proposals [5]. As benefits from projects are logically realized after the realization of the
project’s deliverable, the process of benefits realization management continues after the closure of the project. As the
project organization will be dissolved at the closure of the project, and the project owner should be focused on the
management of the permanent organization, the PMO can play an important role in benefits realization for example
by performing post project reviews [23].
When sustainability criteria are integrated in project benefits and business cases, the realization of these benefits
will refer to the progression the realization of the organization’s sustainability strategy and ambitions. Crucial for the
realization and monitoring of this progression is the ability to measure. Or, as Jain [31] argues: "The ability to …
assess progress towards sustainability will depend on establishing measurable entities or metrics used for
sustainability". In the process of selecting a for the organization relevant set of material and strategically aligned
sustainability indicators, the for the sustainability strategy of the organization responsible officers may logically be in
the lead. A PMO may not see a role for itself in this process, as the role of projects in an organization is oriented
towards strategy realization and not towards strategy development [40]. However, the PMO should contribute to the
process of developing relevant sustainability criteria by adding criteria that apply to the process of projects and
programs. Especially as, given the temporary nature of projects, the integration of sustainability in the process of
project management tends to get less attention in organizations [62].

4.5. Human Resources Management

In organizations, success depends on how effectively resources are used. If an organization does not resource
allocation process for project managers, these are left on their own to solicit for projects [32]. The human resource
management responsibility of the PMO therefore are in the first place focused on the role of the project manager.
Typical tasks are project manager skill set identification, project manager candidate personnel identification and
providing input on project manager’s performance evaluation [35]. In the second place, the PMO’s responsibility may
be focused at the organization’s employees that work in projects as team members. Without this role of the PMO, the
project managers are depending on the support of the project owner/sponsor and the functional managers of the desired
experts for the staffing of their project teams. This situation may lead to conflicts and difficulties that will hamper the
project team’s efforts in completing the project successfully [32]. Therefore, the PMO should provide resource
management capabilities across the organization.
The consideration of sustainability in projects and project management basically does not change much in this
responsibility. However, as studies [37; 48, 63] show that individual project managers get stimulated by different
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8 Author name / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2019) 000–000

patterns of stimuli, these patterns should be considered by the allocation of project managers to projects. The
referenced studies discovered three distinct patterns in the stimulation of sustainable project management behavior.
These patterns were labeled “Intrinsically motivated”, “Task driven” and “Pragmatic”. Intrinsically motivated project
managers address sustainability because they care and they feel that it is the right thing to do. The characteristics of
the project, or the opinion of others, do not play a large role in their considerations Task driven project managers
consider sustainability based on the project’s characteristics, requirements or objectives, the opinion of key people
and potential rewards. These participants can be stimulated by external pressure or rewards. Pragmatic project
managers are not strongly self-motivated for sustainability, but will consider it when they see a good application for
sustainability. These participants are stimulated by practical knowledge, tools and results.
By recognizing the stimulus patterns of project managers, a PMO can more effectively support the implementation
of sustainable project management and the transition of organizations towards more sustainable business practices.

4.6. Training

Trainings on working in projects and project management is typically a responsibility of a PMO. These trainings
are also logical intervention points for the PMO to communicate and implement the organization’s project
management methodology. Depending on how much of the developed methodology may have been taken, these
trainings can be acquired from on the market available trainings and certifications. On the topic of sustainable project
management, the only available market offering on trainings and certifications is based on the project management
standards of the organization Green Project Management (GPM).
A generic sustainable project management training/certification, such as offered by GPM, may be considered a
starting point for trainings on sustainable project management within a specific organization. As these trainings are
generic, they are limited to covering generically applicable concepts, standards and insights. And although these
concepts, standards and insights provide good content to create awareness for sustainability challenges, that may not
provide all relevant insights for the organization’s project managers. It is here where the PMO may take a role to
develop organizational trainings on the specific sustainability challenges, strategies and ambitions of the organization.
It is recommended that the PMO approaches the sustainability professionals in the organization in order to contribute
to the development of these trainings.

4.7. Knowledge Management / Organizational Learning

One of the most important expected benefits from a PMO is the development of the organization’s competence in
performing projects [35]. This competence may also be referred to as project management maturity [60].
Organizational learning is therefore a key-responsibility of a PMO. Also for this responsibility, the earlier mentioned
development of an organizational standard for project management is the foundation, as following a standardized
methodology enables measurement, evaluation and improvement.
Organizational learning is also identified as one of the impact areas of sustainability in project management [61].
As sustainability suggests minimizing or eliminating waste, organizations should therefore learn from their projects
in order to not ‘waste’ energy, resources and materials on their mistakes in projects [62]. Project management
standards, such as PRINCE2 and PMI’s PMBOK, support organizational learning by prescribing that projects
document their lessons learned as part of the “Corporate Knowledge Base” of the organization [50]. The PMO can
support the organizational learning on the integration of sustainability aspects in project management, by integrating
the evaluation of sustainability perspectives and aspects in the project evaluations, project reviews and lessons learned
reports of projects.
A challenge in the transfer of knowledge is the so called ‘tacit’ or implicit knowledge, that has been acquired
through experience [47]. This type of knowledge cannot be written down without loss of information, and is usually
passed on through personal interaction. It should be expected that a complex concept such as sustainability, and its
application in an organization’s projects, requires more tacit knowledge than other topics in project management and
that the transfer of knowledge on sustainable project management would therefore require more social forms of
knowledge exchange than the traditional lessons learned reports.
1074 Gilbert Silvius / Procedia Computer Science 181 (2021) 1066–1076
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4.8. Project Support and Archiving

The building up of knowledge and experience in sustainable project management is one of the requirements for
organizational learning, knowledge management and organizational maturity. Based on the developed organizational
methodology of sustainable project management, the PMO should monitor and measure the practices and performance
of projects. This archiving role may be combined with a supporting role for projects on project documentation [13].
And although large projects may have their own project support organization or project office, this may also be a role
of an (enterprise) PMO [24]. Also for a structured archiving of projects, a shared project management methodology
is a condition.
The supporting role of the PMO may also include (financial) administration and control and contracts management
[46]. Also here the PMO would need to include sustainability aspects, as it can be expected that clients and
organizations that have an active or pro-active approach to sustainability [66] would require information of the
performance of the project also in other than economic performance indicators.

4.9. Consulting

In addition to the exchange of knowledge and experiences, one of the responsibilities of the PMO in sustainable
project management should also be to provide guidance and advice on the application of sustainability in projects.
This would require that the PMO also develops specific expertise on this and cooperates with the sustainability
professionals in the organization to develop more factual insights on the sustainability aspects of different alternatives
in projects. For example the sustainability aspects of the use of different materials in construction projects or different
architectural solutions in software development projects.

This paragraph analyzed how the concept of sustainable project management impacts the responsibilities and tasks
of a PMO in an organization. By acting upon these responsibilities, the PMO can contribute to the transition towards
more sustainable business practices that many organizations are aiming for.

5. Conclusion

The study reported in this paper aimed to explore how the concept of sustainable project management impacts the
responsibilities and tasks of a PMO in an organization. A topic that is still unexplored in the emerging literature on
sustainability and project management. Based on an analysis of relevant literature, the authors established a list of
nine potential responsibilities and tasks of a PMO. The impact of the concept of sustainable project management on
these responsibilities was subsequently discussed, taking a pragmatic interpretive approach.
From our analysis it appeared that the integration of sustainability considerations in the organization’s methodology
or standard of project management is the basis for the role of a PMO in sustainable project management.
Unfortunately, the generic standards and literature of project management still do not provide much guidance on how
to operationalize the sustainability policies and ambitions of organizations in for project managers actionable
practices. The PMOs have the position to take a leading role here, but that would require that PMOs develop their
competences in sustainable project management.
This realization, combined with the analysis developed in this study, shows that a PMO can play an key-enabling
role in the sustainability of projects and project management and thereby in the transition of organizations towards
more sustainable business strategies and practices.

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