17:30 – 18:30 28th April 2021
2021 Responsible
Project Management

Save the date
4th November 2021
LONDON & online

Road to COP26
• UK Government mandate
▪ New net zero target: 78% by 2035
▪ 6th carbon budget incl aviation &
shipping
▪ From national to international
• Building back better
▪ Lockdown learning
▪ Commitments to ourselves
▪ Commitments made by organisations
• Opportunities for
▪ Homeworking
▪ Valuing family & community
▪ Protecting environment

Dr Nigel Williams
Reader in Project Management
University of Portsmouth
Nigel.Williams@port.ac.uk
Dr Karen Thompson
Senior Academic
Bournemouth University
kthompson@bournemouth.ac.uk

Agenda
• What is RPM?
• Why does responsibility
matter?
• What can you do?

www.ResponsiblePM.com

Poll 1
What is your greatest challenge
today?
1. Family or health concerns
2. Lack of work or new
opportunities
3. Team communication
difficulties
4. Working with suppliers
and/or customers
5. Implementing COVID-safe
measures

Why Responsible PM?
• Agile advanced PM’s conceptualizations of Value from Company to Customer Value
• Responsible PM seeks to advance from Customer to Societal Value

Professional (IR)Responsibilities of Project
Managers
• Political (ir)responsibility Understand of the
environment or context of the project.
• Intellectual (ir)responsibility Understand and
adapt practice
• Moral( ir)responsibility Understand difference
between right and wrong
• Individual (ir) responsibility work/life
management

Why Responsible Project Management?
OPTIMIZING ADAPTIVE RESPONSIBLE
Predict future
conditions/end state
Embrace uncertainty
during delivery
Extended life cycle
perspective
Rationality
assumption
Learning assumption Values assumption
Company Value Customer Value Societal (Environmental
and Social) Value

Project Influences on Responsibility
• Organizational
• Temporary activity for permanent organization
• Temporal
• Need to synchronize organizational routines across stakeholder network
• Time based advantages created by project activities (Emergency response, Time to market,
window of opportunity)
• Employment, contracts and temporary assignments
• Major transitions across stages
• Relational
• Power relationships (Client/Supplier)
• Conflict/Co operation

Responsibility varies by Project Role
Zwikael, O., & Meredith, J. R. (2018). Who’s who in the
project zoo? The ten core project roles. International Journal
of Operations & Production Management, 38(2), 474-492.
Champion
Business
Case
Project
Funder
Steering
Committee
Project Owner
Users
Funding
Entity
Performing
Entity
Program
Manager
Project
Manager
Project
Management
Office
Outputs
Project Team
Sponsor/
Product
Owner

What is Responsible PM?

Ethics
Social
Environmental
Sustainability
Responsibility
Accountability:
Responsibility
that is subjected
to agreed
rewards/
penalties
Responsible PM is
Individual

Ethics
Social
Environmental
Sustainability
Minimize
Accountability:
Responsibility that
is subjected to
agreed rewards/
penalties
Irresponsible PM

When
to Act
Practices
Scope of
Action
(IR)Responsibility
(IR)Responsible
PM Domains

(IR) Responsible PM Domains
Domains Responsible PM Irresponsible PM
Scope of Action Broad Narrow
When to Act Public/Societal
Interest
Personal Interest
Practices Learning, Advocacy,
Stakeholder
inclusion, Social
Value,
Environmental
value
Sham Compliance,
Selective
disclosure,
Stakeholder
Exclusion

Scope of Action
Responsible Irresponsible
Broad Narrow

When to Act
Responsible Irresponsible
Societal Personal

Poll 2
Which description of reporting of
environmental & social impacts best
fits the arrangements for your
project?
1. No monitoring or reporting
2. Report at project closure on
environmental impacts only
3. Report at project closure on social &
environmental impacts
4. Regular reporting on environmental
impacts only
5. Regular reporting on social &
environmental impacts

Calls for
Action

Join a new
workshop
Workshops to understand competencies
Project scenario - Construction or Technology

Open call
for evidence
COP26
Nov 2021

Open call
for evidence
COP26
Nov 2021
Questions
1. What projects are you delivering that will
contribute to achieving net zero?
2. How are you changing the way you
deliver projects to achieve net zero?
3. What do you see as good practice in
projects seeking to meet net zero targets?
4. What help & support is needed?

Open call
for evidence
COP26
Nov 2021
How to submit
1. Link to existing material e.g. website
2. Create video, podcast or poster
3. Email us for follow up
Join us: London 4th November

Contact
Nigel
Nigel.Williams@port.ac.uk
Karen
Kthompson@Bournemouth.ac.uk

Poll 3
What changes do you anticipate to
your project practices over the next 3
years?
1. No change
2. Improved reporting on
environmental impacts
3. Improved reporting on social &
environmental impacts
4. Stakeholder dialogue on
environmental impacts
5. Open public dialogue on social &
environmental impacts

What can you do?
• Sign the RPM Manifesto
• Join one a workshop
• Continue the discussion …
• Join the Meetup Group and our
FaceBook Group
• Visit our website
www.ResponsiblePM.com
• Connect with us on LinkedIn
Thank you ☺

Save the date
4th November 2021
LONDON & online
COP26