Project Management Approaches for Environmentally Considerate Strategic Planning that Balance Organizational Strategy with Sustainable Tactics at Colleges

Abstract

In order to sustain a competitive advantage and a leading market share, organizations must employ successful project management techniques. Efficient project management systems thinking and strategic planning deliver strategic organizational competency by facilitating operational outcomes to strategic priorities. When sustainability is introduced, strategic planning leads to effective problem avoidance that aligns with an organization’s project management methodologies. This paper proposes conceptual project management approaches for strategic planning that balances organizational strategy with sustainable tactics at universities and colleges. It addresses sustainability in higher education institutions (HEIs) and proposes project management planning methods for strategic adaptations that can create differentiation and competitive advantage for HEIs. The end goal is to focus attention on strategic planning coupled with structured project management methodology for sustained maintenance. The concept of the triple-bottom-line framework for HEIs is introduced for coupling strategic planning, project management and sustainable methodologies. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research into operationalization of the areas of sustainability and project management systems thinking in order to further advance conscientious strategic planning for educational institutions.