Sustainability is a field of growing interest in Project Management (PM). Literature on Sustainability in PM is abundant at a theoretical level; however, it is necessary to explore hands-on approaches for designing models and practices. The purpose of this study is to introduce management systems as a practical tool for Sustainability in PM. Management system certifications are used as an indicator of the implementation of Sustainability practices, and thus, the impact of Sustainability on the success of projects is analyzed. The methodology for this study includes the analysis of the correspondence between Sustainability and five recognized management system standards (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, UNE 166002 and OHSAS 18001) and experimental research based on data delivered by CDTI (Center for Industrial Technological Development) including relevant and objective information about R&D&I Projects in the energy sector. This study analyzes the impact of four variables (duration, budget, year of funding and certifications to management systems) on the success of the project. The conclusion is the significant positive impact of having management system certifications on the success of company projects analyzed in the Spanish energy sector, which may be of interest to PM practitioners in order to consider Sustainability as a factor for success.

There is a broad consensus on the importance and advisability of testing laboratories adopting a Quality Management System (QMS) to support their work, no matter they are industrial or research oriented. However, laboratories involved in R&D have specific difficulties to implement a QMS due to the peculiar nature of their activity. This paper analyzes the main challenges and difficulties found by professionals when implementing a QMS in a research testing laboratory, based on the literature review and a questionnaire with 86 laboratories participating performed in collaboration with RedLab (Red de Laboratorios de la Comunidad de Madrid). After this analysis, a set of requirements for the competence of research testing laboratories based on ISO/IEC 17025 and UNE 166002 is defined, and an agile methodology for the fulfilment of these requirements is proposed.