Short answer
When developing or evaluating project management processes, prioritize models that embed sustainability as a core component, not an afterthought, to ensure long-term organizational viability and positive impact.
- Field
- Commercial Production
- Source
- Future Business Journal (2025)
- Method
- Systematic Literature Review
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Project management maturity models that explicitly incorporate sustainability criteria are essential for enhancing the long-term resilience and strategic alignment of project-based organizations. This commercial production research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Future Business Journal. Using Systematic literature review, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When developing or evaluating project management processes, prioritize models that embed sustainability as a core component, not an afterthought, to ensure long-term organizational viability and positive impact.
Integrating Sustainability into Project Management Maturity Models Boosts Resilience in Project-Based Organizations
Project management maturity models that explicitly incorporate sustainability criteria are essential for enhancing the long-term resilience and strategic alignment of project-based organizations.
Future Business Journal · 2025
Key Findings
- 01Sustainability is a critical driver for project management maturity in PBOs.
- 02Existing maturity models need to integrate economic, environmental, and social indicators.
- 03Key drivers for maturity in PBOs include sustainability, structured frameworks, benchmarking, strategy formulation, continuous improvement, and technological advancement.
- 04Maturation pathways differ between enterprise and intelligent PBOs, requiring adaptive assessments.
Application
Design takeaway
When developing or evaluating project management processes, prioritize models that embed sustainability as a core component, not an afterthought, to ensure long-term organizational viability and positive impact.
How to apply
When designing project management frameworks or conducting organizational assessments, ensure that sustainability performance indicators are as prominent as traditional metrics like budget adherence and schedule completion.
Project actions
- 01When defining the scope of your design project, consider how sustainability goals can be integrated into the project management approach.
- 02Research existing project management maturity models and evaluate their suitability for incorporating sustainability aspects relevant to your project context.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Comprehensive systematic review methodology.
- +Focus on the specific context of project-based organizations.
Limitations
The systematic review relies on existing published research, which might have its own biases or gaps. Real-world implementation of these integrated models can also face practical challenges not fully captured in literature.
Reliability & validity
The reliability of the systematic review is enhanced by the PRISMA methodology and the use of multiple databases. Validity is supported by the focus on a specific context (PBOs) and the identification of recurring themes across the literature.
Think critically
To what extent can traditional project management maturity models be retrofitted with sustainability components, versus the need for entirely new, sustainability-native frameworks?
Design Principles
"Integrate sustainability criteria into all aspects of project management maturity assessment and development."
In project-based organizations, particularly those involved in infrastructure and environmental initiatives, traditional project management maturity models often fall short. By integrating economic, environmental, and social indicators, these enhanced models provide a more holistic approach to evaluating performance and ensuring that projects contribute positively to both business objectives and broader societal and ecological systems.
What This Means for Your Design
To be good at managing projects, especially big ones that affect the environment or society, companies need to think about sustainability (like being eco-friendly and fair to people) just as much as they think about money and time. Special project management tools that include these sustainability ideas help companies last longer and do better.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this research when discussing the importance of holistic project management approaches that consider sustainability for organizational maturity and resilience in your design project.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research highlights the critical role of sustainability in enhancing project management maturity within project-based organizations. By integrating economic, environmental, and social indicators into maturity models, organizations can achieve greater strategic alignment and long-term resilience, moving beyond traditional metrics of cost, time, and scope to address the complex impacts of their projects.
Source
Future Business Journal
Project management maturity in project-based organizations: frameworks, drivers, and the role of sustainability
journal · 2025
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about integrating sustainability into project management maturity models boosts resilience in project-based organizations?
- When developing or evaluating project management processes, prioritize models that embed sustainability as a core component, not an afterthought, to ensure long-term organizational viability and positive impact. Evidence: Future Business Journal (2025).
- Why does "Integrating Sustainability into Project Management Maturity Models Boosts Resilience in Project-Based Organizations" matter for design?
- In project-based organizations, particularly those involved in infrastructure and environmental initiatives, traditional project management maturity models often fall short. By integrating economic, environmental, and social indicators, these enhanced models provide a more holistic approach to evaluating performance and ensuring that projects contribute positively to both business objectives and broader societal and ecological systems.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When developing or evaluating project management processes, prioritize models that embed sustainability as a core component, not an afterthought, to ensure long-term organizational viability and positive impact.
- What were the main findings?
- Sustainability is a critical driver for project management maturity in PBOs.. Existing maturity models need to integrate economic, environmental, and social indicators.. Key drivers for maturity in PBOs include sustainability, structured frameworks, benchmarking, strategy formulation, continuous improvement, and technological advancement.. Maturation pathways differ between enterprise and intelligent PBOs, requiring adaptive assessments.
- What research method was used?
- Systematic Literature Review.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2025 journal from Future Business Journal.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing project management frameworks or conducting organizational assessments, ensure that sustainability performance indicators are as prominent as traditional metrics like budget adherence and schedule completion.
- What are the limitations?
- The review's findings are based on published literature and may not capture all emerging practices or industry-specific nuances not yet documented.