LETTER TO THE EDITOR
2 September 2026
Dear David and Miles,
Project management creates the future. But what type of future do we really want and what do we wish to sustain? Personally, I do not wish to sustain the growth that leads to people going hungry while more than a billion tonnes of food are wasted annually, people sleeping on streets while properties sit empty, and many millions are forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence or persecution. I believe that many project people share this wish.
Project processes alone, of course, cannot transform the world. But projects are at the forefront of development. Project people everywhere are already finding new ways of doing things, driving decision making in new directions, and are exploiting new opportunities. There are now many projects that have incorporated new frameworks, such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals or the ten principles of Responsible Project Management, are using new models for decision making, reframing project purpose, and are raising awareness of social and environmental impacts. These stories can now be told to inspire others.
A dedicated PMWJ Editorial Panel for Sustainability and Regeneration is a timely, and very welcome initiative that I hope will encourage those with stories to share.
Project management has been optimised for efficiency and delivery. These, in turn, are designed to drive economic growth, where growth is an end in itself. We need to challenge this view because, like children, economies cannot keep growing indefinitely.
Delivery, as part of growth, is a developmental phase, and project management needs to mature to ensure we only deliver what can be supported. This is what success looks like if we take sustainability and regeneration seriously. Unfortunately, in our pursuit of sustainability, Large Language Models can only contribute at the margins. If we are not careful, technology will accelerate decline and stunt the development of project management. Lived experience shared in stories is required now. This is why the new PMWJ editorial panel is so timely and will provide space for us to collectively explore this new type of project management learning.
Congratulations to the editors of PMWJ for this exciting new initiative. I am delighted to have been invited to join the panel.
Dr Karen M Thompson FSI FAPM FHEA
Co-founder, Responsible Project Management, UK
How to cite this work: Thompson, K. (2026). On New PMWJ Sustainability and Regeneration Panel, Letter to the Editor, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue IX, September. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pmwj168-Sep2026-Thompson-On-New-PMWJ-Sustainability-Panel-Letter-to-Editor.pdf
