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Ethics for project managers
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I share “never lie” approach but you don’t see it very often. Lying always backfires in the long run but people are so tempted to achieve teeny short-term goals they can’t keep from that.
I share “never lie” approach but you don’t see it very often. Lying always backfires in the long run but people are so tempted to achieve teeny short-term goals they can’t keep from that.
This is a great deck. When we talk about project leadership we mean to put these principles into action. Even when it is difficult or unpopular. Nice job Craig. Every Project Manager needs to understand these rules and apply them.
This is a great deck. When we talk about project leadership we mean to put these principles into action. Even when it is difficult or unpopular. Nice job Craig. Every Project Manager needs to understand these rules and apply them.
Hi Craig,
IF project managers were true, independent professionals, I would agree fully and totally with your fundamental ethics.
Unfortunately, in most cases, today’s project manager is not an independent practitioner, but an employee, caught in the middle between a demanding management and a mistrustful, unrealistic client.
One of my biggest concerns is that PMI, who hold themselves out to be the “leading” organization representing the practice of project management, has, in their own Code of Ethics, made false or misleading claims that project management is a profession, when several credible research projects have established that project management is not a profession, and is unlikely ever to be recognized as one.
So if the world’s largest organization at least claiming to represent the practice of project management is willing to lie, or at least stretch the truth, then what does that say about the practitioners themselves?
I believe that until and unless project managers are willing to push back and not accept projects being assigned to them unless they are reasonably achievable and that the authority granted matches the responsibilities, project management as a profession is doomed.
BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta
Hi Craig,
IF project managers were true, independent professionals, I would agree fully and totally with your fundamental ethics.
Unfortunately, in most cases, today’s project manager is not an independent practitioner, but an employee, caught in the middle between a demanding management and a mistrustful, unrealistic client.
One of my biggest concerns is that PMI, who hold themselves out to be the “leading” organization representing the practice of project management, has, in their own Code of Ethics, made false or misleading claims that project management is a profession, when several credible research projects have established that project management is not a profession, and is unlikely ever to be recognized as one.
So if the world’s largest organization at least claiming to represent the practice of project management is willing to lie, or at least stretch the truth, then what does that say about the practitioners themselves?
I believe that until and unless project managers are willing to push back and not accept projects being assigned to them unless they are reasonably achievable and that the authority granted matches the responsibilities, project management as a profession is doomed.
BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta
Folks –
First, ethics is not about deciding between good and bad. Pretty much anyone who isn’t a sociopath can do that. Ethics is more about choosing between two bad options, or occasionally, two good options.
To say, “never lie” begs the issue. Pretty much everyone tells “white lies” from time to time either to protect themselves or to protect the feelings of others. Haven’t you ever apologized for being late by saying, “sorry the traffic was heavier than I expected,” when the fact was that you simply left later than you had planned?
Even something as seemingly straightforward as saying “treat the money like your own” doesn’t always provide guidance. If the money were my own, I’d probably be spending it on myself and my family rather than this silly project where the business case was cooked to get approval. Or if it was my money, I might go with the contractor who seems more reliable rather than the one with the low bid that my employer requires me to choose.
How do I “account for the full product life cycle” when my employer is only responsible for one part of it? Do I really make the choice that causes my employer to go bankrupt because it will be better for society in the long run?
Take a look at the asapm Code of Ethics. We adapted it from the one used by IEEE. I think it provides better guidance.
Duncan
Folks –
First, ethics is not about deciding between good and bad. Pretty much anyone who isn’t a sociopath can do that. Ethics is more about choosing between two bad options, or occasionally, two good options.
To say, “never lie” begs the issue. Pretty much everyone tells “white lies” from time to time either to protect themselves or to protect the feelings of others. Haven’t you ever apologized for being late by saying, “sorry the traffic was heavier than I expected,” when the fact was that you simply left later than you had planned?
Even something as seemingly straightforward as saying “treat the money like your own” doesn’t always provide guidance. If the money were my own, I’d probably be spending it on myself and my family rather than this silly project where the business case was cooked to get approval. Or if it was my money, I might go with the contractor who seems more reliable rather than the one with the low bid that my employer requires me to choose.
How do I “account for the full product life cycle” when my employer is only responsible for one part of it? Do I really make the choice that causes my employer to go bankrupt because it will be better for society in the long run?
Take a look at the asapm Code of Ethics. We adapted it from the one used by IEEE. I think it provides better guidance.
Duncan
Hi Bill, Craig et al…..
While I agree with Bill that the asapm CoE is a good one, the one I am suggesting we look at is the recent update published by the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics Professionals (SCCE)
These folks are LITERALLY the professionals who are responsible for writing the Codes of Ethics/Codes of Conducts and then enforcing them in our organizations.
Be sure to look this over, paying special attention to Paragraph 1.4….. If you prefer video, then try this link http://www.corporatecompliance.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Events/WebAudioConference/CodeEthics/Recording/lib/playback.html or if you want “hard copy” then use this link. http://www.corporatecompliance.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Resources/ProfessionalCode/SCCECodeOfEthics_English.pdf
Either way, this is the code of conduct I think we should be adopting as project managers. Once a few of us have “quit” or refused to knuckle under when a client expects the impossible, then and only then will be be on the road to “professionalizing” what it is we do.
Until then, we are nothing more than lackeys to our clients/sponsors and not true professionals.
Enjoy and let’s see what you think about our SCCE colleagues suggest…..
And if you really want to have some fun, compare SCCE or asapm against PMI’s CoC/PE http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf
Again, what do you think? Which of these CoE’s makes the most sense in terms of raising the professional image of what it is we do?
BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta
http://www.getpmcertified.com
Hi Bill, Craig et al…..
While I agree with Bill that the asapm CoE is a good one, the one I am suggesting we look at is the recent update published by the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics Professionals (SCCE)
These folks are LITERALLY the professionals who are responsible for writing the Codes of Ethics/Codes of Conducts and then enforcing them in our organizations.
Be sure to look this over, paying special attention to Paragraph 1.4….. If you prefer video, then try this link http://www.corporatecompliance.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Events/WebAudioConference/CodeEthics/Recording/lib/playback.html or if you want “hard copy” then use this link. http://www.corporatecompliance.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Resources/ProfessionalCode/SCCECodeOfEthics_English.pdf
Either way, this is the code of conduct I think we should be adopting as project managers. Once a few of us have “quit” or refused to knuckle under when a client expects the impossible, then and only then will be be on the road to “professionalizing” what it is we do.
Until then, we are nothing more than lackeys to our clients/sponsors and not true professionals.
Enjoy and let’s see what you think about our SCCE colleagues suggest…..
And if you really want to have some fun, compare SCCE or asapm against PMI’s CoC/PE http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf
Again, what do you think? Which of these CoE’s makes the most sense in terms of raising the professional image of what it is we do?
BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta
http://www.getpmcertified.com
Paul’s suggestion that the PM (in most which means more that 50% or higher) corporations have to serve two masters needs soem framework
http://www.ch2m.com/corporate/about_us/values.asp
Is one place to look about how US based firms start with ethics. It may be that in the Far East ethics has yet to catch up.
Just so this is not seen as an internal plug, see
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS178967+15-Apr-2009+MW20090415
CH was 1/2 of the partnership with ICF Kaiser on Rocky Flats – Kaiser-Hill, where I lead one of the program management groups.
I’d conjecture every major E&C firm in the US has a similar track record starting with its code of ethics.
Paul’s suggestion that the PM (in most which means more that 50% or higher) corporations have to serve two masters needs soem framework
http://www.ch2m.com/corporate/about_us/values.asp
Is one place to look about how US based firms start with ethics. It may be that in the Far East ethics has yet to catch up.
Just so this is not seen as an internal plug, see
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS178967+15-Apr-2009+MW20090415
CH was 1/2 of the partnership with ICF Kaiser on Rocky Flats – Kaiser-Hill, where I lead one of the program management groups.
I’d conjecture every major E&C firm in the US has a similar track record starting with its code of ethics.