Facilitating the Integration of Sustainability into Project Management through the Project Management Office (PMO)

In today’s business world, organizations are increasingly seeking sustainable products and services because of rising expectations and increased demand from consumers and stakeholders. This constant pressure compels firms to adopt sustainable business practices, particularly influencing project management standards, methods, and processes where sustainability is desired in addition to traditional project management practices. Sustainable Project Management has evolved as a global trend within organizations. Despite, the crucial role played by the Project Management Office (PMO) in establishing standards and processes within an organization, its role in sustainable project management is still unexplored. Therefore, the purpose of this research paper is to explore and understand the roles and responsibilities of PMO that are essential to achieve the objectives of sustainable project management. As the study has a practical focus and the impact of the Project Management Office (PMO) in sustainable project management hasn't yet been properly investigated, therefore a pragmatic interpretative approach has been applied along with a concept map. Based on the analysis of relevant literature, the responsibilities of a project management office are developed. The results of this study, identified twelve duties of the Project Management Office (PMO) to integrate sustainability elements into the organization's project management practices. Consequently, the study delineates the central role of the Project Management Office (PMO) in an organization's paradigm shift toward sustainable project management practices.