1.4f – Professional Responsibility and Ethics

Project management is not just about mechanics; it is about doing the right thing for stakeholders, the team, and the organization.

1.4f.1 The Four PMI Values

The PMI Code of Ethics is built on four core values:

1. Responsibility: Owning your decisions and their consequences.
2. Respect: Valuing others, their time, and their diverse perspectives.
3. Fairness: Making impartial decisions based on facts and merit.
4. Honesty: Communicating truthfully, even when the news is bad.

1.4f.2 Ethical Challenges in Practice

Conflicts of Interest

If you have a personal stake in a project decision (e.g., a friend bidding on a contract), you must:

• Disclose the relationship immediately.
• Recuse yourself from the decision-making process.

Integrity in Reporting

If a project is failing, you have a professional obligation to report it honestly to sponsors. "Green status" reporting for a "Red" project is a breach of ethics.

Respecting the Team

• Create psychological safety: Encourage diverse viewpoints.
• Prevent burnout: Don't enforce unsustainable work hours.
• Protect confidentiality: Handle personal or sensitive data with care.

1.4f.3 Speaking Up

When you see something wrong (e.g., a contractor cutting safety corners, a colleague accepting bribes):

• Gather facts first.
• Report it through appropriate channels (Sponsor, HR, Ethics Hotline).
• Courage is required to maintain professional standards.

1.4f.4 On the Exam: Ethics Scenarios

Ethics questions often present a situation where the "easy" or "profitable" path is unethical.

Good Answers:

• Choose honesty over convenience.
• Disclose conflicts of interest.
• Follow laws and regulations strictly.
• Treat every stakeholder with respect, regardless of power level.

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Ethics First

On the PMP exam, if an answer is legally or ethically questionable, it is never the correct answer, no matter how much time or money it saves.