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This study aims to investigate and analyze the impact of soft total quality management (TQM) practices on employees’ organizational commitment in Sudanese governmental petroleum organizations and to propose targeted strategies on how to enrich the soft TQM practices.

The study used questionnaires to gather data from employees at Sudanese governmental petroleum organizations that adopt quality programs. A stratified random sampling procedure was followed and generated a sample size of 253. Data were analyzed via regression.

The study examined the relationship between employee’s organizational commitment and five soft TQM practices, namely training and education, top management commitment, employee empowerment, involvement and teamwork. These practices collectively explain most of the variance in the employees’ organizational commitment in Sudanese governmental petroleum organizations with R² = 75%. All independent variables are positively and statistically significant at a 5% significance level. Training/education was inferred as the most influencing factor, and teamwork was the least important among the five practices.

The positive relationship between soft TQM practices and organizational commitment suggests several actionable strategies for organizations. By fostering a culture that emphasizes continuous learning, empowerment and involvement, organizations can improve not only the quality of their products and services but also overall productivity. High levels of organizational commitment reduce turnover rates, which in turn lowers recruitment and training costs associated with replacing employees. Encouraging teamwork and employee involvement fosters a collaborative environment where innovation can thrive. Finally, policymakers could use these findings to advocate for the adoption of TQM practices in public sector organizations.

The findings from this study underscore the importance of soft TQM practices – specifically training and education, top management commitment, employee empowerment, involvement and teamwork – in enhancing employees’ organizational commitment. This focus on human-centric practices provides an important contribution to existing literature, particularly in contexts that are underrepresented in TQM research, such as developing countries and governmental organizations. It demonstrates how abstract TQM principles translate into practical outcomes like increased employee commitment, which is a crucial factor for organizational success.

Considering the lack of integration of sustainable development goals (SDGs) within architectural engineering education, the purpose of this study is to develop a framework that incorporates the SDGs into a programme through extracurricular research activities.

A framework based on case studies was examined. The framework uses extracurricular activities, including an integrated design process and analytical mapping tool. These were accompanied by a comprehensive list of the 17 SDGs and their interpretations.

The framework enabled students to develop a systematic understanding of sustainability early on in their design process, leading to a more comprehensive consideration of architectural design issues and increased motivation to prioritise sustainability in architecture.

The focus was on extracurricular activities rather than integrating the framework into the main programme. Therefore, further research is needed to explore this integration within the core curriculum.

The implications of research initiatives and extracurricular activities in promoting understanding of the SDGs among undergraduates were highlighted. The recommendations may be valuable for academic institutions aiming to align their planning in higher education with the necessary skills and global requirements as outlined in Agenda 2030.

The originality of this study lies in its contribution from the field of architectural engineering and its endeavour to incorporate the SDGs into a programme in the Middle East through a research-based approach.