PMI Research Reveals Sustainability Execution Gap as Organizations Accelerate Transformation
New global research from Project Management Institute (PMI) and Green Project Management (GPM) has found that sustainability is now the strongest predictor of project success, outperforming traditional delivery factors such as governance structures, project methodologies, and other established management practices.
The findings, released alongside the launch of PMI and GPM’s Certified Sustainable Project Professional (CSPP)™️ certification and e-learning program, show that while sustainability ambitions are rising, execution remains the real challenge for organizations.
According to the research, 79% of professionals believe sustainability positions their organizations for long-term success. However, only 41% say sustainability is fully integrated across projects and functions, meaning that most organizations recognize its strategic value but have yet to embed it into the mechanisms that drive transformation and results.
For organizations across Egypt pursuing growth, modernization, infrastructure development, industrial transformation, and long-term competitiveness, the findings highlight the need to move sustainability from strategy into execution.
“Transformation does not happen through strategy documents alone. It happens through projects,” said Hanny Alshazly, Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa at PMI. “Organizations that build the capability to integrate sustainability into project delivery will be better positioned to achieve business value, strengthen resilience, and deliver measurable outcomes.”
The report identifies several recurring barriers, including difficulty quantifying sustainability benefits in business terms, weak integration into decision-making, inconsistent execution, and competing delivery pressures that can push sustainability priorities aside.
The research also reveals a confidence gap between leadership and project teams. While 85% of sustainability executives believe their organizations will achieve their sustainability goals, only 43% of PMO leaders and 20% of project professionals share the same level of confidence.
To address this gap, PMI and GPM launched the CSPP™️ certification and e-learning program on World Environment Day. The program is designed to equip project professionals with the skills, tools, and frameworks needed to embed sustainability into planning, execution, and measurement.
As the sustainability conversation evolves, the challenge facing organizations is no longer only understanding why sustainability matters. It is building the capability to deliver it.