An assessment on the drivers and obstacles of sustainable project management in South Africa: A case study of Johannesburg

Abstract

The construction industry has been identified as the industry which carry out unsustainable practices, and processes, this has led to several countries seeking to incorporate sustainable practices such as sustainable construction, sustainable construction project management to handle the growing concern over climate and environmental issues. Despite the construction industry awareness of these sustainable practices, it has been a problem implementing these sustainable practices. The aim of this study is to identify the barriers that hinder the implementation of sustainable project management in the South African construction industry, as well as drivers that encourages the implementation of sustainable project management. A quantitative methodology approach was adopted for this study, a questionnaire was employed to gather data for this study. A total of fifty-two (52) respondents returned their questionnaires. Findings from this study reveal that a major barrier to implementation of sustainable project management is the perception that green buildings are expensive, lack of expertise and lack of training also obstacles of the implementation of sustainable project management. Findings on what drives organisations to invest in sustainable project management is the benefits that will be gained financially This study concluded with recommendations stating that an increased level of training and drumming interest in the clients so that when the construction professionals propose the use of sustainable project management, there is an understanding by the clients.