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    ITPM6.318 Project Management: Ethics and Professionalism

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    ITPM6.318 Project Management: Ethics and Professionalism

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    Lecture 13 Ethics and Professionalism.pptx

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    94 views19 pages

    ITPM6.318 Project Management: Ethics and Professionalism

    Uploaded by

    laklira

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    ITPM6.

    318 Project Management

    Ethics and Professionalism


    2

    Project Management Ethics


     Project Managers deal with decisions involving:
    − People, Resources and the Environment
     And sometimes these factors are in conflict,
    creating a dilemma and perhaps significant risks.
     Ethics is the discipline of “how to do it best”.
    Why bother?
     Protect against damaging perceptions:
    − Project, Company and Profession
     Avoid legal and moral backlash
     Develop and maintain trust
     Attract and retain good staff
    3

    Project Manager’s legal & ethical


    responsibilities
     Confidential Information – Confidentiality Agreements
     Privacy Act
     Copyright Act
     Negligence – having a duty of care and failing to meet
    the standard of care
    − In relation to confidential information
    − In relation to a client’s database or network
     Hacking – Theft, Criminal Damage
     Contractual Agreements - Copyright
    4

    PMI Ethics
     To guide behaviour and help with tough decisions,
    PMI have published:
    − Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct 
    − Ethical Decision-Making Framework.
     The values which guided these documents are:
    − Responsibility
    − Respect
    − Fairness
    − Honesty
    5

    1. Responsibility
    “Our duty to take ownership for the decisions we
    make or fail to make, the actions we take or fail to
    take, and the consequences that result.”

     Seek to manage others versus assigning blame and


    ensure progress is made
     Be willing to adjust plans
     Be a supportive participant
     Own the entirety of the project
    6

    2. Respect
    “Our duty to show a high regard for ourselves, others,
    and the resources entrusted to us. Resources entrusted
    to us may include people, money, reputation, the safety
    of others, and natural or environmental resources.”

     Consider people’s time – including email and


    communication
     Advocate the overall business over just your project
     Look after your team – stress and needs
    7

    3. Fairness
    “Our duty to make decisions and act impartially and
    objectively. Our conduct must be free from competing
    self interest, prejudice, and favouritism.”

     Abstain from decisions that question your fairness


    and objectivity
     Focus on balancing workload
     Be fair to yourself
     Evaluate performance not popularity
    8

    4. Honesty
    “Our duty to understand the truth and act in a truthful
    manner both in our communications and in our
    conduct.”

     Disclose and prepare stakeholders


     Be transparent and follow procedures
     Inform client even bad news. Give them all the
    information and what you are doing.
    9

    PMI Ethical Decision Making Framework


    1. Assessment: Make sure you have all the facts about
    the ethical dilemma
    − Does it abide by the law?
    − Does it align with the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional
    Conduct?
    − Does it agree with your employer’s and client’s code of
    ethics and conduct?
    − Does it align with your ethical values and those of the
    surrounding culture?
    2. Alternatives: Consider your choices
    − Have you listed possible alternative choices?
    − Have you considered pros and cons for each possible
    choice?
    10

    PMI Ethical Decision Making Framework


    1. Assessment: Make sure you have all the facts about
    the ethical dilemma
    − Does it abide by the law?
    − Does it align with the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional
    Conduct?
    − Does it agree with your employer’s and client’s code of
    ethics and conduct? Does it align with your ethical values
    and those of the surrounding culture?
    2. Alternatives: Consider your choices
    − Have you listed possible alternative choices?
    − Have you considered pros and cons for each possible
    choice?
    11

    PMI Ethical Decision Making Framework


    3. Analysis: Identify your candidate decision and
    test its validity
    − Will your candidate decision have a positive impact or
    prevent harm to project managers, PMI staff or
    volunteers, clients, your employer’s organization, other
    stakeholders, the environment, or future generations?
    − Does your candidate decision take cultural differences
    into account?
    − Looking back, will this decision seem like a good idea a
    year from now?
    − Are you free from external influence to make this
    decision?
    − Are you in a calm and unstressed state of mind?
    12

    PMI Ethical Decision Making Framework


    4. Application: Apply ethical principles to your
    candidate decision
    − Would your choice result in the greatest good?
    − Would your choice treat others as you would like to be
    treated?
    − Would your choice be fair and beneficial to all
    concerned?
    5. Action: Make a decision
    − Are you willing to accept responsibility for your
    decision?
    − Could you make your decision public and feel good
    about it?
    − Are you ready to act?
    13

    Procurement
    You’re about ready to sign a big new client to a contract
    worth over $50,000. Your boss is under a lot of pressure
    to increase sales. He calls you into his office and tells
    you his job is on the line, and he asks you to include the
    revenue for your contract in the sales figures for the
    quarter that ends tomorrow. You know the contract is a
    sure thing but the client is out of town and cannot
    possibly sign by tomorrow. What do you do?
    14

    When Ethical Items Conflict

    At work, you believe that the health and safety of your


    fellow employees is at risk, and that management is
    not responding appropriately. You are genuinely
    concerned for your colleagues.
    The company does have a system for reporting safety
    risks, but you have seen that system take too long and
    be too cumbersome to properly alert your co-workers.
    What are your options and which option is best?
    15

    Confidentiality versus Business Survival


    Susan is the CEO of a company which has commissioned a
    project that will establish a whole new line of business needed
    for the company’s survival.
    Susan’s husband Alan works in the claims department of a
    health insurance company. Paperwork on a recent claim shows
    that claimant was treated for hyper anxiety and severe mood
    swings. Alan notes the patient’s unusual last name and realises
    the patient is his wife’s project manager.
    Susan seems very happy with how the project is going and he
    cannot violate patient confidentiality by informing her about
    the project manager’s mental illness but he is not comfortable
    with a potentially unstable person in a position of influence
    and supervision over such a critical project. Can Alan reconcile
    these issues in an ethical manner?
    16

    Compliance versus Job Security


    You’re about ready to sign a big new client to a
    contract worth over $50,000. Your boss is under a lot
    of pressure to increase sales. He calls you into his
    office and tells you his job is on the line, and he asks
    you to include the revenue for your contract in the
    sales figures for the quarter that ends tomorrow.
    You know the contract is a sure thing but the client is
    out of town and cannot possibly sign by tomorrow.
    What do you do?
    17

    Legal and Ethical Issues

    You keep a copy of a client’s database on your support


    server to help investigate problems they report. Each
    month the client sends you a new copy of the
    database on CD. What are your responsibilities?
    18

    Professional Accreditation
     The Project Management Institute is the world’s leading
    professional membership association for project, portfolio
    and programme managers. (There’s also the International
    Project Managers Association – IPMA)
     PMI, IPMA and Axelos* offer accreditation programmes.
    Accreditation assures employers and clients that the holder
    meets an exacting industry standard of competency.
     Membership of a professional association also provides
    access to information, tools and templates, knowledge
    resources, research, publications, professional
    development opportunities etc.
    (* Axelos is the standards development body for the PRINCE2
    project management methodology)
    19

    Continued Professional Development


    ITPM6.318 Project Management covers the key elements of
    project management but there is much more to learn.
    Hands-on experience is important (‘school of hard knocks’
    provides many, many learning opportunities) but even
    accredited project managers need to maintain competency in
    their profession in order to:
     Maintain client confidence and credibility
     Be more efficient through new skills
     Grow as an influencer and leader of teams
     Maintain currency as methods evolve
     Be able to secure more challenging and rewarding jobs
     Become a better professional person

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