Unit VIII

Project Management Strategy and Tactics 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VIII

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

8. Analyze communication, ethics, and leadership in effective project management. 8.1 Correlate project success to project manager ethics and professional conduct.

9. Discuss the need for ethical and professional conduct of project management practitioners. 9.1 Explain why ethical standards and professional conduct must be applied in all steps of a

project.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

8.1

Unit Lesson Article: “Virtues and Vices in Project Management Ethics” Document: PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct Unit VIII Reflection Paper

9.1

Unit Lesson Article: “Virtues and Vices in Project Management Ethics” Document: PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct Unit VIII Reflection Paper

Required Unit Resources

In order to access the following resources, click the links below.

Ljungblom, M., & Lennerfors, T. T. (2018, June). Virtues and vices in project management ethics. Project Management Journal, 49(3), 5–16. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=bsu&AN=130359720&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Visit the Project Management Institute website to read the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct document. Select the “Download” button to access the document.

Unit Lesson

Introduction

Throughout this course, we have focused on the process groups and the knowledge areas that guide a project from the initiating process group to the closing process group. The guidance from the different activities that take place in each process group are important to the project managers as they plan, execute, and monitor projects. The project managers also rely on the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Project Managers, which was created by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The ethical and professional conduct guidelines assist project managers in learning how to conduct themselves before, during, and after every project. By following these ethical and professional conduct guidelines, the project managers become respected in the field and trusted by the project stakeholders. These are two attributes that every project manager should strive to possess.

UNIT VIII STUDY GUIDE Ethical and Professional Conduct of Project Management Practitioners

Project Management Strategy and Tactics 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Most professional and licensed professions have ethical guidelines that are created to ensure that the professionals conduct themselves in a manner that is reputable and positive for the profession. Project management is no different. Most project managers become certified with the PMI to further their careers and to show that they have the credentials to lead projects. By becoming a certified project manager, the project managers agree to follow the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct created by the PMI. In 1981, the PMI Board of Directors created an Ethics, Standards and Accreditation Group. The sole purpose of the group was to develop the ethical guidelines for project managers to use when leading and managing projects. When you think of project management, you may not always think of ethics first, but the ethical and professional guidelines are important to provide the project manager with the baseline for their conduct. The Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct values include honesty, responsibility, respect, and fairness.

The honesty value is the responsibility of the project manager to know the truth and to always act in a truthful manner in communications and in conduct. Not only should project managers know the truth, but they should understand the truth to be honest and accurate in the communications with all project stakeholders. The communications should be promises in good faith. The project manager should also create an environment for the project team that allows others to feel safe to tell the truth and to report any untruths that are communicated.

The responsibility value requires the project manager to take ownership for the right and wrong decisions that are made during the project. Also, the project manager should take responsibility for all positive or negative actions that caused the project to succeed or fail. When errors or omissions are made, the project manager must communicate these issues to the project stakeholders. The project manager should take responsibility of any positive or negative consequence based on the actions and decisions made during the project. This is an important value since the project team members will likely make decisions during the project too. However, as the leader and manager of the project, the project manager needs to take responsibility for the decisions and actions that they may not have made. The decisions made for the project should also be based on the best interests of public safety, society, and the environment. Project managers have the responsibility to only accept projects that match their backgrounds, skills, experiences, and qualifications. Project managers, as well as all project team members, need to protect all proprietary and confidential information that has been given to them in trust. Finally, the project managers need to follow all regulations and legal requirements that are specific to the organization, industry, and the stakeholders (PMI, 2017).

The respect value is the duty for the project manager to show high regard for themselves, the project stakeholders, the project resources, and others. Project resources refer to the project team members, money, natural and environmental resources, and safety resources. The respect value also encompasses the project’s environment. The project’s environment should be based on trust, confidence, and performance of the project managers. Project managers should encourage diversity and focus on cooperation to show all diverse perspectives are valued and encouraged. Project managers’ actions must be completed in good faith and not beyond the expertise of the project managers.

Finally, the fairness value focuses on the decisions and actions of the project manager. The actions and decisions must be made impartially and objectively. The conduct should be free from competing self-interest, prejudice, and favoritism. Project managers should also have transparency in their decision-making to show the stakeholders that all decisions are made with their best interests at heart. All project information should be available to all stakeholders and project team members who are authorized to have such information. Finally, opportunities within the project team should be equally offered to all qualified candidates (PMI, 2017).

The values in the PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct encompass the ethical decision-making and conduct that all project managers are expected to demonstrate. The Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct values should be applied to all practices of project management. By focusing on these values, the project manager can ensure that the entire project was centered on ethical practices and decision-making. All PMI members must comply with the values of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

Project Management Strategy and Tactics 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

PMI Ethical Decision-Making Framework

As noted above, the values of the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct focus not only on the actions of the project manager while leading and managing the project, but they also highlight the decisions that are made during the project. The PMI knows the importance of ethical decision-making and created the Ethical Decision-Making Framework (EDMF). The framework documents the specific steps that a project manager can use to guide them through the project management process. The framework is a supplement to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. There are five steps in the framework.

Step one is the assessment. With the assessments, the project manager needs to make sure that facts are known about the ethical dilemma. The project manager should consider the questions listed below.

• Does the issue abide by the law? • How does the issue align with the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct? • How does the issue align with the stakeholders’ or the organization’s code of ethics and conduct? • How does the issue align with the project manager’s ethical values and the team’s culture?

Step two is to consider the alternatives. The alternatives are the choices that the project manager must choose from in order to respond to the issue. The project manager should consider the questions listed below.

• Has the project manager listed all alternative choices? • Has the project manager considered all pros and cons for each alternative?

Step three is the analysis. The analysis is when the project manager identifies the chosen alternative and focuses on testing its validity. The project manager should consider the questions listed below.

• How does the alternative impact the project stakeholders? Is the impact positive or negative? • How does the alternative take cultural differences into account? • Is the choice free of external influences? • Will the decision be a good one for years to come? • Is the project manager calm and unstressed while making the decision?

Step four is the application. During the application step, the project manager will apply ethical principles to the chosen alternative. The project manager should consider the questions listed below.

• Will the chosen alternative result in good for the masses? • Will the chosen alternative treat others as they should be treated within the PMI’s values? • Will the chosen alternative be fair and beneficial to all project stakeholders?

Step five is the action. During the action step, the project manager will make a decision. The project manager should consider the questions listed below.

• Is the project manager ready to accept responsibility for all decisions made? • If the decision is made public, will the project manager feel good about the decision? • Is the project manager ready to act?

After going through the framework, the project manager should be comfortable with the final decision and ready to act. However, after reviewing the framework and going through the steps, if the project manager is not comfortable with the decision, they should go through the steps again and determine a better solution. The steps can be used in sequence, but the project manager may need to loop back-and-forth between the steps to make the right decision. The framework should also stimulate the project managers to think about each decision in-depth and to understand the impact and consequences in every decision and action.

Project Management Strategy and Tactics 4

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Conclusion

Honesty, responsibility, respect, and fairness are the values developed in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. The PMI created the values to guide the project conduct and decision-making actions for all project managers. The actions and decisions made by project managers should be honorable and in the best interest of the project team and the project stakeholders. The project managers can use the values in the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to guide their decisions and actions. As a supplement of the PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, the EDMF was created to provide five steps for project managers to use to make decisions for ethical dilemmas and other issues.

Reference

Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® guide) (6th ed.). https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781628253900

Suggested Unit Resources

In order to access the following resource, click the link below.

Decision-making mechanisms lie not only in technocratic knowledge but also in practitioners' inner cultures and personal lifestyles. Highlighting the human factors in project strategic decision-making reveals a new path for analyzing project managers. This article applies Bourdieu's practice theory within the field of project management. It yields results that exhibit the common social characteristics of successful project managers and suggests that project managers must be viewed from a sociological perspective as well.

Kalogeropoulos, T., Leopoulos, V., Kirytopoulos, K., & Ventoura, Z. (2020, December). Project-as-practice: Applying Bourdieu’s theory of practice on project managers. Project Management Journal, 51(6), 599–616. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=bsu&AN=147141786&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Learning Activities (Nongraded)

Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.

Visit the website YouTube, and perform a search for each of the following keyword search terms to view a wide variety of resources that offer additional insight into this unit’s topics. Note the channels or authors whose videos you find most helpful, and consider bookmarking or subscribing to them for continued professional development. It is suggested when looking for online resources, you choose those that are most recent, as they will offer the most up-to-date information.

Keyword search terms for this unit are listed below.

• Ethical project management • Project manager team

In Unit VIII, we have focused on ethical conduct for project managers. What steps would you take to ensure that, as a project manager, your projects meet all ethical conduct requirements from the PMI?