This document discusses ethics and the role of project managers. It begins by defining ethics and discussing common misperceptions about ethics. It then examines how ethics relates to the complex role of a project manager, who must balance responsibilities to multiple stakeholders. The document outlines several typical ethical dilemmas project managers may face and recommends approaches to resolve issues related to team dynamics, reporting, changes to scope and requirements. Overall, it advocates applying core values like integrity, fairness and honesty to navigate ethical challenges in a way that benefits all stakeholders.

1. Ethics and the Project Manager

2. 2
Agenda
What really is ethics ?
What are the misnomers we usually associate to “Ethics” ?
What are the key factors that bring ethics into play ?
Why should it matter to me?
What are the universal core values of ethics – the ABC of ethics ?
What are the competitive factors in today's market that invoke “Ethical
behavior“ ?
Ethics and the project life cycle
Walk the talk – how to bring in the right environment for the right practice

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Define Ethics

Ethics is the activity of understanding moral values,
resolving moral issues, and justifying moral judgments.

It is also the discipline or area of study resulting from
that activity.

Ethics involves judgments about the rightness or
wrongness of human behavior

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Layman terms
What does in general one thing of when “Ethics” is mentioned ?

Good or Bad

Judgement
− Ex : Escalate or manage a situation

Behavior or actions
− Beliefs or values influence action or Behavior
− Ex : decision making in a team

Addressing the right response to a situation
− Ex: managing a irrational stakeholder

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What is the general opinion about Ethics
Situation which invokes responses as given below

Not my cup of tea – let me get the project done as per the charter

My right and wrongs are clear – I don't need to be ethical about the
situation.

Let me cross the bridge when I come to it – that is not a concern now.

Lets deliver what we have done and deal with the situation that arises next

This is only a people / process issue – my projects outcome has nothing to
do with it

That's for my manager to decide – its not my concern.

What the public does not know – wont hurt it !

From my point of view – I am right.

Compliance – no big deal !

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Misperceptions

Ethics is just a concept – nothing real

Ethics offers nothing tangible

Ethics is not relevant for a PM role

Ethics applies to only the top management or decision / policy
makers

Ethics is corporate compliance / BCG etc

Ethics is only about “Do this and Don't do that “

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Influential factors

Culture

Peers

Experiences

Role / Designation / Influence

Competition

Expectations

Mindset

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Core values of Professional ethics

Integrity

Fairness

Morality

Honesty

Trust

Values

Virtue

Character

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Complexity of a PM roles and how Ethics comes into play

Role is unique and requires a different perspective

Multiple Stakeholders – internal / external

Responsibility with or without authority

Pressure to achieve results

Short term decision with long term consequences

Temporary relationships

Changing environments

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Common Ethical issues

Legal non-compliance, Bribes / Kickbacks

Lack of employee rights / inadequate health and safety

Breach of contract / agreement / Conflict of interest

Mischarging / low-billing / Padding

Substandard delivery / Inaccurate reporting

No commitment / responsibility / Accountability

Repressive Culture / Dysfunctional motivation

Inadequate communication

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Ethical frames

Ethical situation

Ethical transgression

Ethical impact

Ethical dilemma
− Intensity of response
− Sensitivity of issue

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Ethical Dilemma -Factors to be considered

Magnitude

Scalability

Context

Causes

Control over the issue

Facts / Data

Impact to stakeholders

Assumptions

Consequence of response

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Ethical Dilemma -The approach to be taken
1)Has it occurred
2)Determine its sensitivity
3)Identify stakeholders involved
4)Conduct the inquiry
5)Determine who needs to get involved or
address it
6)Get to know the cause or causes

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Ethical Dilemma – Determine what action to be taken
1)Meet the stakeholders
2)Determine a plan of response and plan of
prevention
3)Get the commitment – implement the plan /
action
4)Follow up with the effectiveness of the action
5) Document or demonstrate “lessons learned”

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Minimum
Approach
Balanced
Approach
Maximum
Approach
Ethical Dilemma -The level of action to be taken

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What's in store for a PM today
Intellectual Property ( IP )
Employee rights at workplace
Government regulatory norms / business protocols
Outsourcing norms
Inter-company agreements
Solution partners and delivery partners
New products and technologies
Industry wide or domain practices
Focus of organisation at different levels
Motivation factors vary for org / culture
Value system / Culture factors
Immense supply chains and complex vendor networks
Trade barriers

19. 19
PMI's Code of ethics
PMI focuses on these core values

Responsibility

Respect

Fairness

Honesty

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Benefit of a ethical PM practice

Organisation - Reduced unethical/illegal
behavior, increased awareness and conflict
resolution , Better decision making as a unit,
reputation for fair practices.

Individual

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Few best practices

Keep key stakeholders engaged from their point of views / Invite
them for key meetings at project level.

Generate reports based on facts and data that are reliable and
validated internally

Have key stakeholders review reports and acknowledge them

Avoid the pressure to report positive data only/ Be consistent
and persistent in reporting

Confront issues early despite their unpopularity

Institute project management disciplines, tools, and techniques
in a manner that is scaled to the needs of the project, and insist
that the team follows them

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Few best practices

Include quality in the processes for building the final deliverable
rather than have people pump output that results only in rework.

Come back with an options analysis and recommendation on a
realistic approach toward a project; by doing so, stakeholders
will then know what the risks are and share in the responsibility
if the project fails.

Generate and distribute reports on a consistent basis to provide
visibility of the cost and schedule slides so that key stakeholders
see the impacts of their unrealistic demands.

Factor in cultural differences in their plans, such as accounting
for different perceptions of time.

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Few best practices

Ensure that visibility of responsibilities occurs and continues by
reviewing them at the start of project meetings.

Perform a risk analysis of any commanded decisions, and
communicate that risk to the appropriate stakeholders, thereby having
them share in the responsibility of the results.

Bring in other experts who may provide a different insight to the
project, countering the impact of powerful stakeholders.

Over-emphasize on legal compliance

Have ethics on the agenda for ongoing team meetings.

Encourage team members and other stakeholders to participate in
exercises such as brainstorming that require thinking outside the box.

Question the validity of the rules by encouraging people to think
outside the box.

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Summary
Play by the rules
Constantly keep asking the three letter word – Why
Reliance on numbers / data
Desire for agreement
Positive working relationship
Maintain audit trail for decision and actions
Keep a open mind to inputs without any biases

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Reference and inspiration

Ethics in project management
http://www.ieee.ca/canrev/cr45/pages6-8.pdf

PMI exams tips on ethics
http://www.pmhub.net/wp/wp-content/files/Jim_Owens_PMP_Exam_Tips_o

PMIs – code of ethics and professional conduct
http://www.pmi.org/About-
Us/Ethics/~/media/PDF/Ethics/ap_pmicodeofethics.ashx

Ethics and project management – R Kliem

Various articles, paper presentations and generic discussion with
colleagues.

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Thank you!

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Typical Ethical dilemmas and approaches to resolve them
Lack of teamwork
Impact :
Overdependent on a few people.
It is more difficult to detect problems if people work in isolation.
Skill growth
Surprises
How ethics and PM skills can help :
Analyze the situation to determine why this is happening. If no time to do so then
Implement joint tasks
Provide for sharing of information and knowledge in meetings
As teamwork gets established, hold some meetings where the staff can discuss the
benefits of teamwork.
Help overcome old, ingrained habits, and move the ownership of the idea to the staff.
Reward joint effort from the start.

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Team members that are difficult to work with
Team members that are difficult to work with
Impact :
Given direction are not taken well
Work at own pace
To demonstrate their power and the dependence of the work on them, they continue to
delay.
Member may just rush through their work raising quality concerns
Detection :
Look at their work and quality of work
Observe how they assign priorities among different task assigned
Observe reaction when same nature of work is reassigned – are you getting similar
questions everytime in response ?

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Team members that are difficult to work with
How ethics and PM skills can help :
Start with a light hearted discussion and small tasks
Follow up with review right after they finish – exercising your authority
This will set a pattern that works in your favor
Establish joint task for bigger tasks – peer pressure will keep them inline.
If you inherit such people from other managers – assert your authority and set guidelines
on expectations
Again assign short term task that you can monitor and validate
Divide task into milestones with intermediate reviews

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Typical Ethical dilemmas and approaches to resolve them
Experience and knowledge ( diversity ) varies among team members
Impact :
Takes more time to decide on issues and situations
Decisions may not get a all round support
Differences may raise head at critical situations
Detection :
Can you easily identify who can deal with a problem ?
Is there growing dependency on one person ?
Spending more time in communication and co-ordination ?

32. 32
Typical Ethical dilemmas and approaches to resolve them
How ethics and PM skills can help :
Take assessment of the situation – conditions and take into account the planning
required to deal with it
One proven approach is for team members and others involved in the work to define their
own tasks and then update their tasks.
Track issues and problem more formally
You might consider holding meetings in which different people share their experiences
and knowledge. This can not only facilitate more knowledge sharing, but can also help
build a common view of the work
Report issues by type and relate them to the relevant work.
Make your management aware of the complexities this raises
Increase avenues for knowledge sharing and interaction within team
Acknowledge your team on any work that makes them build undefined bridges within the
team

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Lack of motivation
Lack of motivation
Impact :
Productivity
Focus shifts from issues that need attention long term
Detection :
Vibe in the team
Casual conversations
Body language and words used to describe a issue.
Reaction to queries or the lack of reaction to stimulus

34. 34
How ethics and PM skills can help :
At the start of project – analyze each members profile / resume – understand where they
come from and their short term long term aspirations.
Develop a culture of mutual respect and transparency within the team.
Get them to update these assuming the project was successful – this will give a view of
the roles they aspire to play during the project lifecycle. If project is long then ask for a
update during the project -when teaming is done
If some people are impossible – then limit their involvement and try to get new blood to
replace them
Do not keep members that are no longer needed.
All roles should be defined with backup details – identify the backup enablement with a
project milestone that is applicable.
Help team members identify what they can gain from the expertise from the work in major
project implementation This helps to set detailed expectations on both sides and a sense
of achievement in daily tasks.
Lack of motivation

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Faulty or incomplete reporting
Faulty or incomplete reporting :
Impact:
Problems detected quiet late in the work cycle with no indication before they occur
How ethics and PM skills can help :
Understand where your management is focusing
Understand where your stakeholders are focusing
Management gives attention to work based on the size of the budget, the elapsed time for
the schedule, or the number of people involved – broaden your focus beyond these
parameters from the start.
Raise awareness of issues with management as and when you get the indications
Track these issues along with standard information and report them – identify time to
discuss or focus on them in your agenda.

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Single tasking mode
Single tasking mode
Impact :
Productivity
considerable idle time when it occurs impacting other schedules
Managerial time in managing such a person
How ethics and PM skills can help :
Assign several foreground and background tasks and define criteria and priority
Assist them decide and in being judicious
Get the individual to also track the task and report them
Work on the self-esteem of the person and reward productivity

37. 37
Same mistake again and again
Same mistake again and again
Impact :
Productivity
Self esteem and development of the person in question
Acceptance “As is” by others
How ethics and PM skills can help :
Discuss and identify errors committed
Classify the nature of mistake and outline the root cause for it
Establish the impact if it reoccurs in current project cycle.
Divide them into various area – Work / communication / planning / resolution etc
Encourage them to share the lessons learned.
Acknowledge the improvement

38. 38
Lack of standards/protocols – technology – Communication – common
process
Lack of standards/protocols – technology – Communication – common process
Impact :
Dilemma of “Use our standards or adopt theirs “
Technology retrofit challenges
Manage risk that are not your own
Will impact your business regardless of your level of involvement
How ethics and PM skills can help
Create awareness of issue and impact across stakeholders and advocate a solution that
is amicable
Identify long terms impact to stakeholders business
Identify benefits and risks of going ahead with the decision against a more conservative
approach.
Advocate acceptance and demonstrate the benefits.
Work with stakeholders and vendor to define the process and enable it.

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Promised features that are not there
Promised features that are not there
Impact :
Consideration for the package may be dropped
The wrong sales pitch may get grounded very fast
Bigger benefits or associated up sell
How ethics and PM skills can help :
A conservative approach - Questionable until proven
Establish the facts early with considerable technical evidence
Do not fear sounding negative if you have your data right
Be cautious of lucrative sounding – extra features and functions – clarify with sales and
stakeholders
Concentrate on minimum func and features that can go-live. Identify the core features that
are business enablers for the client

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Last minute changes
Last minute changes
Impact
Delays / Delivery
Other Projects / resource
Loss of faith in tech leadership
How ethics and PM skills can help :
Get the user to answer why the requirements change
why did it surface now ?
Can this feature be implemented in a future release ?
Is this a valid change to original scope and is it acknowledged by stakeholders ?
Any additional req ?
Keep a keen eye in discussion on likely changes or talk that relates to changing baseline
decisions – advocate impact early to management and stakeholders
Discuss such likely changes with team – to get a early hand to it
Advocate and work for clarity and baseline these requirements
Are there work arounds – explore

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Should I recommend a new release
Should I recommend a new release
Impact :
May fall back to the older stabler release
Effects the relationship with vendor or client
User experience may be different than what projected
Feature may need to be further fine tuned / customised
How ethics and PM skill can help :
Answer these questions
what % of user experience is expected to improve as projected
Has enough time lapsed and enough adaptability done to establish the stability of the new
release
Are existing know issues fixed as patches ?
Have learning being incorporated w.r.t earlier release
“what will happen if I wait ? “