PRiSM or "Projects integrating Sustainable Methods" is a green project management delivery method. It leverages the wisdom and standards set forth in the BoKs and integrates an applicable framework of sustainability derived from ISO:14001.

Using the PRiSM project management method, projects will not only achieve their defined objectives but will reduce negative environmental impact in the process.

PRiSM's Origin

In spring of 2009 a consortium of project managers started a project with a working title of silverbaton.  Silver which was a symbol to emphasize impact of the group 50 years into the future, and the baton which was a symbol for passing competency forward.  This consortium began to collect best practices from several industries spanning six countries to determine what was the most practical method to infuse sustainability with project management.  Through several iterations based on trial and success, PRiSM was established in the fall of 2011.

The model, is completely competency driven in that Project Management theory is drawn from but laid out in a practical manner so that the method can be implemented, repeated, and most importantly used as measure of progress towards environmental stewardship.

To explain PRiSM, let's first look at why projects fail.

There are many reasons. If you are reading this and have project management experience, you would probably agree that inadequate emphasis on the validity of the business case (the why), lack of attention to quality, insufficient planning, poor communication with stakeholders, poor time and cost management, insufficient monitoring and control, or confusion on who is doing what.

This is a limited view of what project management is.  If you were to carry out the aforementioned activities well, you will by definition have a "successful project" 

By PRiSM's standards, you are managing projects with a narrow focus and the organization that the project is being delivered for may get what they asked for but not what they need.

PRiSM places an emphasis on P5, or the five bottom lines. (Yes, there are five, not three.) From the onset of the mandate which breathes life into the project, the race is on to achieve the objectives, close it out and then move on to the next. This is a loose explanation, but generally, this is the gist.

Using the PRiSM method, projects are aligned with either the organizational environmental management system, or a custom set of standards to ensure that the effort has as little impact on the environment as possible.  GPM's environmental management plan serves as a guide to tether all aspects of the project plan towards environmental stewardship.

Simple Example:  Bob's Widgets hires you to manage the redesign of their new shiny widget.  You are handed the requirements, a budget, and a team.  Meanwhile Bob's Widget's CEO has declared that they are "going green" and all personnel are to begin recycling and so forth.  This looks good to investors, and marketing has a new page in the company brochure to create. How does your project delivery align with this? 

As a PM, are you trained to employ standards to develop the new widget in a "green" manner?  Will the widget at end of life become a burden on the environment?  What about the efficiency of your team?  What about the suppliers?  Are the materials that are being used in this new widget from green companies?  (It doesn't end there.)

By employing the PRiSM method, you will be able to report on all of these factors and much more.

Under the hood.

PRiSM is mapped to the IPMA competence baseline and places emphasis on the following three areas:

PRiSM foundations is a course that in one day, imparts a basic understanding of what Green Project Management® is and how it is different from main stream project management. Participants gain a foundational understanding of how to Initiate, Plan, Execute, Control, and Close a project using sustainable methods.

Participants will have a firm grasp on the key differences between Project Management and Project Leadership and why they are both required to be an effective PM which encompasses
  - Communication;
  - Issue Management;
  - Stakeholder Management;
  - Environmental Factors (P5)

All courses are revised twice a year and offer up-to date training provided by leading project managers and internationally experienced educators. The courses are highly relevant for senior project managers, project consultants, program managers and project management educators. 

This course is perfect for executives, managers, elected officials, and individuals who wish to get a brief overview of how sustainability and project management fit together.

North American Course Schedule

Participants of the PRiSM Practitioner course will gain a firm understand what Green Project Management® is and how it is different from main stream project management through an iterative hands-on learning approach designed by GPM Global called EnVex.  This is a case study driven real life simulation of a project that is interwoven into the course to ensure that the material is retained and also serves as a blueprint of how to apply PRiSM when the course is completed.

Specifically, participants will know and demonstrate how to effectively Initiate, Plan, Execute, Control, and Close a project using sustainable methods.
- Understand key differences between Project Management and Project Leadership and why they are both required to be an effective PM, encompassing
  - Communication;
  - Issue Management;
  - Stakeholder Management;
  - Environmental Factors (P5)
  - Have exercise material to draw from when returning to their organization
  - Gain the competency to apply sustainable methods to a project that can be used to apply for GPM Certification.

All courses are revised twice a year and offer up-to date training provided by leading project managers and internationally experienced educators. The courses are highly relevant for senior project managers, project consultants, program managers and project management educators.  The Practitioner course is targeted to Project, Program, and Portfolio Managers, Sustainability Professionals, Environmental, Business, and Systems Analysts.

North American Course Schedule

Project Management, the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve a specific goal has been continuously evolving since the times of early civilization.

For Example: The Great Pyramid in Egypt was constructed in roughly 2,500 BCE with the theory laid out by John Romer, a British Egyptologist, suggesting that 200,000 men divided into two teams and further subdivided into groups of 20,000 skilled workers took 14 years to construct it laying out parts of a plan on the ground. An early project management plan?

While John’s theory isn't the only one out there, from purely a project management perspective, it is easy to see that even early project management skills had value and contributed to the most prolific efforts in history.

It wasn't until the mid-20^th century however when Project Management as a discipline began to take on a definitive form with the Pioneering minds of Henry Gantt who developed the Gantt chart and Henri Fayol the architect of the five management functions that are the basis of today’s various bodies of knowledge.

Tools, techniques, methods and standards continue to be honed and streamlined by organizations, both public and private. Certifications based on a project manager’s ability execute, based the use of these standards, give further credence to the discipline.

Sustainability in Project Management / Green Project Management

Since the adoption of ISO 14001, which exists to help organizations minimize how their operations impact the environment and comply with applicable laws, the subject of sustainability through project management had remained nebulous at best as there had been a lack of continuity among organizations who desired to use project management as the mechanism to impart change.

As an organization, GPM Global is working to streamline and promote the practical application of green project management® to decouple environmental degradation from economic prosperity.

PRiSM employs methods to measure value on five levels. Our set of best practices augment the current bodies of knowledge so that when employed, organizations can better understand how they contribute to their carbon footprint and can thus take measures to decrease it without sacrificing their business.