The truth and nothing but the truth...

@Simona, great question, thanks for posting it. "Windows dressing" approach can have negative consequences sooner rather than later and we should stay away of it.
Organizational context play a key role in addressing this matter.
Finding the right person to convey the message and tell "the whole truth and nothing but the truth" may be difficult but not impossible. In Public Service this may be the senior management, the Ethics Office or the Ombudsman (if available).

Thank you Simona for this interesting question. Our responsibility as ethical and professional project managers is to convey the truth as it stands. What we need to be mindful of is how we convey the message, when and whom can we enlist to support that message, ensuring that as we convey unpleasant truths, we offer solutions, alternatives and options. It is also critical that we do not sleep on information, as unpleasant facts tend to get more unpleasant with time. As professional PMs, we "read the air" and know how to convey these messages in the most ethical and respectful way.

Hello Simona: thank you for posing this question. I've been struggling with an aspect of this recently.....as I read my respected peers weekly status reports and see all the GREEN statuses, I sometimes wonder if I am being too honest - but my status reports are accurate and often are not full of GREEN. This probably does not look as good to Corporate Leadership, but it is the truth. Does this impact future project assignments for me? Does this make me look like a less effective project manager when compared with my peers? I don't know, but my reports are a true reflection of what is happening. Does anyone else deal with this?

Hello Simona: thank you for posing this question. I've been struggling with an aspect of this recently.....as I read my respected peers weekly status reports and see all the GREEN statuses, I sometimes wonder if I am being too honest - but my status reports are accurate and often are not full of GREEN. This probably does not look as good to Corporate Leadership, but it is the truth. Does this impact future project assignments for me? Does this make me look like a less effective project manager when compared with my peers? I don't know, but my reports are a true reflection of what is happening. Does anyone else deal with this?

Some great comments here. I think we need to use our own personal integrity to behave ethically but can understand how difficult this can be.

Dear Lori, thank you for the question. I had the same issue several years ago and indeed I was considered as being maybe less experienced than my colleagues. I ended the situation by having a meeting about what exactly means green/yellow/red. We clarified many grey areas (by providing examples from my reports), we even defined some new criterias, and by doing so I earned their respect.