Businesses are not always clear on how to implement "greener" objectives into existing processes, or how to demonstrate that they have done so. But if project management is the instrument for delivering change in your organisation, then it can help in both these areas.

Successful project management is all about rationalising and making efficiencies. It already helps you look at ways to do things quicker, cheaper and better, so why not greener, too? You can embed green policies into existing project management procedures without seriously disrupting front-line functions.

The procedures integral to project management initiatives will also generate positive records of compliance with process and performance targets.

These records will become increasingly important, whether you are working to achieve ISO 14001 accreditation, want to demonstrate compliance with a corporate social responsiblity (CSR) policy or anticipate legislative changes like the Carbon Reduction Commitment set out in the current 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 considered during a business change project. You may not be ready to select an option based on green factors alone, but the approach will provide positive evidence that you have included green factors in the assessment.

Similarly, you can add green considerations when analysing the impact of any business change. Project management teams are accustomed to assessing impacts on budgets or plans, and it should be possible to indicate what the environmental impact of a 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 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 with environmental rules.

Established project assurance processes can be easily adapted in the same way.

For example, you can include targets for waste reduction and recycling in all projects and then use project assurance sessions to gather performance information against those targets. This will require the addition of just 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're 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

Once green metrics are integrated into project management processes it is a short step towards quantifying the benefits environmental measures deliver.

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 in terms of cost and productivity savings 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 it's flashing on.

Finally, green considerations can also be integrated into an organisation's risk registers. Project managers are accustomed to classifying business or strategic risks, and by identifying green risks you ensure that you are well positioned to minimise the negative impact of a green risk and maximise a green opportunity.

Adding a green category to your project managers' lessons learned logs also helps your organisation to adopt proven green practices more effectively.

With a few straightforward modifications, you can use your existing project management processes and principles 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 is a consultant with project and programme management advisory firm ILX Group