Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie. This short sentence
pretty much sums up the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (the Code).
It describes the expectations that we have of ourselves and our fellow practitioners
in the global project management community. It articulates the ideals to which
we aspire as well as the behaviors that are mandatory in our professional and
volunteer roles. The purpose of the Code is to instill confidence in the
project management profession and to help an individual become a better
practitioner.
The Code is not contained within the PMBOK® Guide. Instead,
it is part of the PMP Credentials Handbook available at
http://www.pmi.org/Certification/~/media/PDF/Certifications/pdc_pmphandbook.ashx.
Just like the PMBOK® Guide, this is a "must read" for anyone studying
to take the PMP® or CAPM® exam. Unlike the PMBOK Guide, where memorization is
necessary to pass the exam, you will not be asked to recite from the Code
during the exam. Instead, expect several scenario-based questions where you
have to show that you can apply the Code. For example, "You have just
arrived in London where you will spend three days with a vendor reviewing a
proposal. The vendor calls you in your hotel room and invites you to dinner.
What do you do?"
Let's take a look into this important document. Upon
creating the code, the PMI found that there are four values project managers
around the globe identified as being important: responsibility, respect,
fairness, and honesty. These values have become the foundation of the Code and
each of them is discussed at length in a separate section. For each of these
values the Code lists aspirational and mandatory standards. The aspirational
standards describe the conduct that we strive to uphold as practitioners.
Although adherence to the aspirational standards is not easily measured,
conducting ourselves in accordance with these is an expectation that we have of
ourselves. The mandatory standards establish firm requirements, and in some
cases, limit or prohibit practitioner behavior.
Practitioners who do not conduct themselves in accordance
with these standards will be subject to disciplinary procedures before PMI’s
Ethics Review Committee. However, even though we have this distinction of
aspirational and mandatory standards, consider everything in the Code as
mandatory for the PMP exam. The code applies to you both as a PMP Aspirant and
later on also as a PMP. First, as a PMP Aspirant, when you apply for the PMP
Exam you will be asked to sign the PMP Candidate Agreement and Release form. In
it you state that as a PMP Aspirant you will comply with the Code. This means,
for instance, that you don’t cheat on the PMP exam.
Once you pass the exam the code also applies to you as a
PMP. Now you should exercise Responsibility and take ownership of the decisions
you make or fail to make; show Respect to yourself, others, and the resources
entrusted to you; apply Fairness when making decisions and act impartially and
objectively; and finally, employ Honesty in both your communication and
conduct. If we all manage to live up to these high standards from the Code we
will improve the respect others have towards our profession as well as enrich
today’s business world.
Here are two more examples of applying the value of Honesty
to your work: First, as a project manager, you may be working on-site for your
client and you may have access to proprietary and copyrighted material or
information. The confidentiality of intellectual property that you have access
to must be maintained. And second, let's look at status reports or press
releases that you provide. The information that you as a PMP provide in these
documents must be accurate and truthful regardless how difficult it may be to
define the word “truth.”
Applying the Code in your daily dealings with work
colleagues and your colleagues in the professional organizations will also set
you apart. The Code can assist you in making wise decisions, especially when
you are faced with difficult situations when you might be asked to compromise
your integrity and values. Sticking to the Code will show others that you are
an upstanding, ethical project manager.
To take this a step further — if your colleagues know this
is how you operate, this will become a valuable part of your reputation. Being
honest and ethical makes finding a new job much easier than if you had the
reputation of stealing, backstabbing, and lying.
Let's come back to that dinner invitation example from
earlier. Would you accept or would you decline? I would accept because going
out to dinner with a vendor or partner is normal social behavior and will not
jeopardize your objectivity on the project. However, if the vendor offers a
free Caribbean cruise to you then you should decline and notify your superiors.
Next to the PMBOK Guide, the PMI Code of Ethics and
Professional Conduct is one of the more important documents covered on the
exam. This is why we have a whole episode of the PrepCast dedicated to
explaining the Code to you. We give you real life examples of how it applies to
your work on a project and what you should do in a given situation.
