In Pursuit of Relevance and Sustainability

Abstract

The starting point of this article is that the strategic dimension of projects concerns creating value. It shows that value is a complex issue that requires many difficult questions to be answered. A case project illustrates how project success may look very different from different perspectives. Further it is shown that relevance and sustainability are superior criteria that need to be secured for value creation to be possible. Some of the short-comings of current practices are illustrated and indications of main areas for improvement are given. The article suggests better practices in three areas: project governance, front-end planning and project execution. Keys to improvements are implementing a clear governance framework; consistently using evaluation criteria that explicitly focus relevance and sustainability; organizing projects with a role responsible for both investment and operations; and keeping focus on use value in project execution.