Mike DewingSenior Project Manager / Program Manager| MLD Holdings Ltd.Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Sounds like you have your answer... Saving Changes...
Peter PfeifferPM Specialist| MPP - Management de Projetos e ProcessosRio De Janeiro, Rj, Brazil
You may not only be in conflict with what the PMI Code says under Fairness ("We demonstrate transparency in our decision-making process"), it may even be illegal.
Stay away from this kind of proposal! Saving Changes...
Lily MurariuResearch Council Officer Program Advisor| National Research Council CanadaCantley, Quebec, Canada
As a project manager, you are in a clear situation for potentially breaking the rules of the Code of Ethics. This is the code that you agreed to conform to when you decided to be a project manager practitioner. As a reminder, the situation falls under the section 2.3. of PMI COE: “Responsibility: Mandatory Standards: As practitioners in the global project management community, we require the following of ourselves and our fellow practitioners…… We report unethical or illegal conduct to appropriate management and, if necessary, to those affected by the conduct. Comment: These provisions have several implications. Specifically, we do not engage in any illegal behavior, including but not limited to: theft, fraud, corruption, embezzlement, or bribery.”
Follow the business rules of the company, use for example the project prioritization methodology in place, or develop one if needed, and create an opportunity by sharing the lessons learned from such a situation. Saving Changes...
Dharmesh GandhiCreative & Strategic Thinker-PMP-Project/Delivery Management-Anaytics| -Pune, Maharashtra, India
Don't accept any such kick backs. Saving Changes...
Edward DanielsProject Manager| IndependentGlen Burnie, Md, United States
We all agree that hard work should be rewarded and while we get paid for our efforts, a bonus is a good way to feel really appreciated. However, the manner in which a bonus is proffered should not change the most expedient way of us doing our work.
It is easy to say "if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck". If i were in your shoes, I would make sure that the "private bonus" is not intended for you to cross ethical boundaries to get your job done. I am bilingual and sometimes I have to watch how and what i say in English so that it isn't misinterpreted. I am sure you have considered all this as well and if the "private bonus" seems like a bribe then ethically you know you shouldn't be compromised.
I would definitely thank the client for their business and that I am sure to take a another look to see what can be done to move their project along faster. Remind them that all bonuses are appreciated and go directly through the corporation. Afterall as PMs, besides getting our projects completed on time and within budget, getting extra business and not "pissing off" our clients are primary tenets of our work. Saving Changes...
Alankar KarpeProject and program management, Speaker and mentor | WiproBangalore, India
A PM is a custodian of client's interest but for a PM, all clients are equal and a offer for bonus looks hideous Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Follow your organization code of ethics and procedures. Saving Changes...
S RajasekarSenior Project Manager| AllscriptsBangalore, Karnataka, India
Trouble is in your way , If you accept it is wrong doing , denying this offer customer will be unhappy as your not supporting them.. Both ways it is impact for you….but go with second option … Saving Changes...
Paul PelletierProject management key note speaker, author, corporate lawyer, and executive| Paul Pelletier Consulting Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Having worked in a number of countries, I've had experiences similar to the one you described. Each time, I reflect on my personal and professional moral compass. Being ethical is a value I hold dear. It also helps to be guided by our Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct - an additional and constant reminder that we owe ethical duties to our profession.
If I'm still not sure what to do, I turn to the PMI Ethical Decision-Making Framework - a great tool to help sort out challenges.
And lastly, I use what I call the "Mother Test" - What would my mother say if she heard that I chose to take the bonus? The answer usually cements what I already believe is the "right" thing to do.
"In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed - but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."
