Speaker

Aylin Kaptan is the founder of PY Akademi and brings a professional lens grounded in sustainability and project management. Her work focuses on applying systems thinking and circular economy principles to practical project approaches, translating complex sustainability concepts into training that project professionals can use immediately in the built environment. She designs training programs through PY Akademi and has shared this work through publications including Şantiye Dergisi and the PMI Turkey Chapter magazine, as well as webinars for PMI chapters across Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Galicia, Spain, on topics spanning circular construction, sustainable project management, and ESG reporting. Her work in sustainable and circular project delivery is supported by PMP and GPM-b (Green Project Manager) credentials.

 

Projects Were Never Linear: Rethinking Value Creation Through Circular Systems Rethink what project success means with Aylin Kaptan as she explores how circular economy and systems thinking can transform the way value is created in her workshop, “Projects Were Never Linear: Rethinking Value Creation Through Circular Systems”. This thought-provoking session challenges the assumption that projects are inherently linear, exploring that shift on every level (organizational, environmental, and societal), offering fresh perspectives and actionable insights to lead projects that are purposeful and future-oriented. Drawing on real examples from the built environment, Aylin shows how circular principles can be woven into project lifecycles, stakeholder decisions, and success criteria, moving the discipline beyond time, cost, and scope toward long-term impact. Participants work through short reflective exercises, mapping one of their own projects as a system rather than a linear process, before comparing notes in guided group discussion on how value is currently defined versus how it could be expanded. Along the way, live polling surfaces the assumptions that quietly shape what counts as project success. Participants leave with a structured reframing of project thinking, from linear delivery models to circular value systems, and practical tools for identifying value beyond traditional KPIs.

 

Learning goals summary:

• Understand that it’s not just about delivering projects on time, cost, and scope; it’s about redefining how value is created and sustained.
• Empower project professionals to see the shift toward systemic, circular value creation not as added complexity but as an opportunity to reframe, integrate, and lead.
• Gain practical ways to integrate circular economy principles into project lifecycle stages, from initiation to closure.
• Discover tools to broaden project success criteria beyond time, cost, and scope to include environmental and social value.