1.
OFFICIAL
Governance SIG
Climate Change & Good Governance
17 November 2021 (17:00-18:00)
Version 1.0
1

2.
OFFICIAL
Nick Gray
Volunteer member, APM Governance SIG.
Programme Director in the Rail Investment Centre of
Excellence, Network Rail.
A career working on complex rail infrastructure
programmes in the UK, sponsoring and delivering
enhancements at all stages of the lifecycle.
Introductions
2

3.
OFFICIAL
Agenda
• This session covers the need to increase visibility of climate
change in governance - aspire to net-zero, better stewardship,
good 'ancestorship’.
• Discussion points against each of the 5 governance threads
• Gives participants the chance to interact with each other and
swap experiences.
• Seeking case studies and themes to inform future work for the
Governance SIG
3

4.
OFFICIAL
The challenge: How to embed climate
change in effective P3M governance
4

5.
OFFICIAL
But first: How can boards best approach
the top circle?
?
5

6.
OFFICIAL
No need to re-invent the awareness wheel
▪ Resources and links to lots of easy-to-digest information & tools
▪ Equally useful and relevant for all project professionals
6

7.
OFFICIAL
Embedding in portfolio direction & alignment
7
Doing the
right projects
Portfolio projection – will you achieve net
zero in totality; interdependencies if an
element is not delivered
An add-on or integral
or centre-stage?
Carbon & sustainability integrated in
business cases (are traditional business
cases still fit for purpose?)
Wicked problems, decision making
when you have dilemmas – synergy or
conflict, biodiversity vs climate change?
Is it all downside nail-shredding
gloom? Seeking opportunities.
Does climate change feature in the
top governance forums/papers
Is it in the vision & strategic
roadmap – and communicated

8.
OFFICIAL
Embedding in sponsorship
❖ Champions - aware, savvy & driving for change
❖ Building appropriate business cases; realising the right outcomes
and benefits; avoiding disbenefits
❖ Using those influencing skills proactively
❖ Sustainability of the project product – the whole life carbon cost
❖ Requirements – understand the end destination; a vehicle to embed
aspects that make a real difference right at the start
❖ Climate resilience as well as net zero (flood, heatwave, storms,
drought, sea level rise)
❖ Avoiding it being a soft target for value management
❖ Open to options for project products – avoid, reduce, repurpose / re-
furbish / re-use existing, designing new assets for future uses and
ease of repurposing or decommissioning.
8

9.
OFFICIAL
Embedding in change & project
management capability
9
Doing the
projects right
Recognition in framework,
processes and decision gates
Horizon scanning,
continual adaptation
& learning
Do success
criteria includes
climate change
Innovation
Minimising waste, materials
choices, energy use in delivery
Take-up upstream
& downstream
Dealings, oversight
and expectations in
supply chain
Mapping to the
right capacity &
competence
Skills & awareness
uplifts for practitioners
Is climate
change on or
under the radar

10.
OFFICIAL
Embedding in transparency & assurance
10
KPIs – which ones?
Success criteria;
Scope 1/2/3.
Science-based
targets (CO2e)
Risks - and opportunities
(Chapter Zero & IRM guide)
Is it in the 1st & 2nd line
assurance toolkits
In assurance remits
and reports; are
assurers climate savvy.
Corporate reporting
tightening (FRC)
Flow through into
P3M reporting
Reputation
(social media)
Does the iron triangle need to
change to a quadrilateral?

11.
OFFICIAL
Embedding in culture & ethics
❖ Are there real & influential champions
❖ Is it there in team meeting agendas
❖ Climate change literacy; training,
awareness, curiosity.
❖ The right tone
❖ The what do you tell your kids test
❖ Engagement with communities
❖ Innovation & latest technology
❖ Low hanging fruit – or real in depth
changes
❖ Dealing with dilemmas
And whilst you are about it what about ESG
generally and the other UN sustainable
development goals – there are plenty to reflect on
11

12.
OFFICIAL
… and podcasts to get you thinking
Contact Details – gopmsig@apm.org.uk
The Climate Question
BBC World Service on
BBC Sounds
Internet server farms: If everyone deleted 1Gb of emails &
attachments from inboxes it would save the equivalent of the
annual electricity consumption of Ecuador.
Buildings: Light coloured roofing can dramatically reduce the air
conditioning load in heatwaves.
Concrete: 8-10% of global emissions; substitute, optimise, cut
waste
Wrap up …
12

13.
OFFICIAL
Directing Change
3rd Edition - 2018
Governance of Co-
owned Projects
- 2017
Sponsoring Change
2nd Edition - 2018
Free to APM members at https://www.apm.org.uk/book-shop/
Gov SIG Publications
Directing Agile
Change - 2016
APM Learning module –
Working with project sponsors
Free to APM members at Associate
level and above at
www.apm.org.uk/apm-learning
13

14.
OFFICIAL
Thank you!
14