Ethics Bistro

"Legality draws the line we must not cross; ethics raises the bar we strive to reach."

In project management, success hinges on timelines, budgets, and deliverables. Yet, beneath these metrics lies a deeper principle: ethics. As practitioners, we are trained not just to follow the law but to do "what is right." This distinction—between legality and morality—shapes our decisions, builds trust, and defines our legacy.

Legal vs. Ethical Standards

Legality sets the baseline: contracts met, regulations followed. It is the minimum standard. Ethics, however, pushes us further. A project might be legally sound yet ethically flawed—say, exploiting a contract loophole to cut safety costs. The law might permit it, but "what is right" demands we reject it. This mindset is not optional; it is ingrained through certifications like PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (CoEPC), which emphasizes Responsibility, Respect, Fairness and  Honesty.

The Ethical Foundation

Our training instils a moral compass. It is the instinct to challenge a decision that harms stakeholders or the courage to prioritize sustainability over profit, even when laws do not require it. This is not about rule-following—it is about anticipating consequences and acting with integrity. A project manager who opts for greener practices beyond legal mandates is not just ethical; they are visionary, fostering innovation and goodwill.

Why Ethics Trumps Legality

Focusing on "what is right" is not altruism—it is practical. Projects are ecosystems of people and relationships. A legally compliant but ethically weak project might succeed short-term but falter in trust or reputation. Conversely, ethical choices—like fair labour practices or transparency—build loyalty and resilience. Clients remember integrity; teams thrive under it. Ethics does not just elevate outcomes; it sustains them.

The Real-World Balancing Act

Reality complicates this ideal. Tight deadlines and budgets test our resolve. Do you delay a project to fix an ethical issue, risking stakeholder ire? Do you push a team harder to meet a moral goal, risking burnout? These trade-offs demand balance. Ethical project managers lean on transparency—engaging stakeholders, explaining dilemmas, and finding collaborative fixes. This keeps projects on track without compromising principles.

The Ripple Effect

Ethical decisions ripple outward. Rejecting a bribe sets a standard. Prioritizing community impact over profit inspires trust. These choices, often subtle, shape cultures and industries. They prove project managers are not just taskmasters—we are stewards of progress. PMI’s Ethical Decision-Making Framework (EDMF) is a great tool to refer.

Conclusion: Ethics as Our Guide

Our indoctrination to "do what is right" elevates project management from execution to purpose. Legality is the guardrail; ethics is the compass. It ensures our work does not just meet deadlines but leaves a positive mark. In a field of constant change, this commitment to integrity anchors us, turning projects into legacies worth building.

Question

Have you come across projects that have proved to be more Ethical beyond Legal?  Please share your thoughts and insights!

The end of the year is a generous time when we all expect to give and receive, to go over the year’s achievements and to prepare for the New Year.

For project managers, and for all professionals involved in management of projects, programs and portfolios, the month of December 2016 brought a historical and ground breaking development. The U.S. President Barack Obama signed bill S.1550, the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act of 2015 (PMIAA).

With this law in place, the CxO class (CEOs, CIOs and CFOs) in the agencies of the U.S. federal government are now directed to use and apply project and program standards in their work. This is a major shift in management practices, with direct social and economic impact, not only in the United States but also around the world.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) has been a strong advocate for the professionalization and recognition of project and program management as an occupation. This cause has been pursued since the late 1960s, and the support now offered by the U.S. federal government is the crowning achievement of over five decades of professional advocacy. The message is clear not only for the professionals in private and public sector in the United States: Project management brings professionalism, accountability, efficiency and ultimately success to any management agenda. Our hope is that the impact and implications will serve as the basis for similar government initiatives around the world.

Let’s examine this monumental achievement, which supports the process of professionalization of project and program management, and see how ethics comes into play.

PMI and others have exerted intense and prolonged efforts to move toward the professionalization of project and program management. These efforts have combined creation of standards, education in project and program management, defining the right skill sets and suggesting, via thought leadership, ways to improve business practices. But these practices must go hand in hand with ethics and high integrity, as they are the nexus of business and strategy for any value-based professional activity.

Sharing the responsibility for benefits in the field of professional project, program and portfolio management requires ethics, as well as “values” in the form of general ethical principles on how professionals should treat the people they work with and what sorts of actions are regarded as right or wrong.

 With the PMIAA, the CxO class is called upon to engage their businesses in  ethical practices in a desire to do the right thing, and convince stakeholders of  their capability of doing the right thing, thus achieving the right thing!

 The ability to “do the right thing” should be enabled internationally with the    appropriate regulatory support and legislation being enacted by additional    governments world-wide.

We applaud the efforts and support of the United States federal government, and hope more jurisdictions will follow their lead.