Chapter 2. Professional and Social Responsibility
This chapter covers the following PMP exam topics:
PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
Responsibility
Respect
Fairness
Honesty
(For more information on the PMP exam topics, see “About the PMP Exam” in the Introduction.)
The PMP certification examination changed several times to include additional performance requirements specific to professional and social responsibility in the practice of project management. With the news media routinely reporting ethical lapses and abuses of professional judgment in various industries and companies, PMI chose to clearly establish what is and is not appropriate in the performance of professional project management services. Previous PMP exam versions separated questions regarding ethics and PMP conduct into a distinct section. The latest version of the PMP exam is different. Although you will learn about professional and social responsibility in this chapter, PMI has chosen to incorporate the topic into questions throughout the exam. You must understand PMI’s view of social and professional responsibility and be able to apply those concepts to all knowledge areas in the PMBOK.
1. How many pages is the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct?
2. What are the four core values for project managers that are specifically addressed in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct?
1. The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is eight pages in length. This might sound like a strange question, but if you answered anything else, you have the incorrect version. The older versions of the Code were shorter.
2. The four core values addressed in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct are
Responsibility
Respect
Fairness
Honesty
The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct focuses on conflicts of interest, truthful representation, and your responsibility to the profession, the customers, and the public. Most of the information contained in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct will seem obvious and intuitive upon your initial read, but the Code ensures that all project manager practitioners have an equal understanding of the responsibilities for honesty and integrity in the profession.
The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is not a component of the PMBOK; rather, it is an eight-page standalone document available on the PMI website. You should read it carefully and thoroughly.
ExamAlert
The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is part of most of the questions you will see on the PMP exam. This small document is the basis for a significant number of exam questions.
Core Values
The PMI Code of Professional Conduct comprises five chapters:
Vision and Applicability
Responsibility
Respect
Fairness
Honesty
Each section challenges all practitioners of project management to apply ethical standards to work efforts, acting in an accurate, trustworthy, honest manner while acknowledging and minimizing conflicts of interest.
The first chapter sets the overall tone of the call for high standards in professional and social behavior. This initial chapter also increases the scope from previous Codes of Conduct to include all project management practitioners. Prior to the release of the current version of the Code, several Codes of Professional Conduct existed. Membership status in PMI and the particular certification held dictated the specific Code(s) that applied to you. The current unified Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct applies to all project management practitioners, regardless of credentials held.
Taken together, these core values provide the basis of the project manager standards of conduct. These standards exist to both promote confidence in the field of project management and to challenge each project manager to strive for excellence. Don’t take the code lightly! PMI views the code as an integral part of the continued development of the project management profession.
Aspirational and Mandatory Conduct
Each chapter in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct contains two sets of standards. First are the aspirational standards. These are the behaviors to which we aspire. In other words, these are the behaviors all project managers would exhibit in the best of situations. Some of these take work to achieve, but they give us good goals that strengthen each project manager and the profession as a whole. There are no specific consequences for violating the aspirational standards.
Second, the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct presents the mandatory standards. These standards provide the minimum acceptable behavior for project managers. Violation of any of the mandatory standards carries consequences. Such consequences can result in loss of credentials or worse.
ExamAlert
Exam questions from this topic are almost exclusively application questions. PMI doesn’t care that you have memorized the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. It wants to see that you can apply the Code to specific situations. As you study, consider how you will apply the Code to your projects.
1. To whom does the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct apply?
A. PMPs and PMP candidates
B. All project managers
C. All persons who are PMI members or hold a PMI certification
D. All PMI members
2. What is the most important goal of the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct?
A. To advance the profession of project management
B. To weed out unethical project managers
C. To address known ethical weaknesses of inexperienced project managers
D. To help project managers increase their skill levels
1. Answer C is the best answer. The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct applies to all PMI members, all persons who are not PMI members but hold a PMI certification, and anyone who serves in a volunteer capacity for PMI.
2. Answer A is correct. The main goal of the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is to advance the profession as a whole. While the other goals are part of the Code, they are only parts of the overall goal of advancing the profession.
1. A colleague overstates her qualifications in her application for PMP certification. PMI selected her application for audit, and you have been asked to sign off on her Experience Verification Form. What do you do?
A. Explain that the project occurred a few years back, and you simply cannot recall the details.
B. Ask the colleague what she wants you to do.
C. Ask your colleague to submit a new Experience Verification Form that accurately states her experience.
D. Do not respond to PMI’s request.
2. As the project manager recently assigned to a project in execution, you’re asked to rescope the existing project. The project sponsor believes the current scope is unattainable, given the budget and scheduled end date. The project is over budget and not meeting schedule milestones. Project cost estimates and timelines were created under the previous project manager. Your analysis of the original project assumptions and constraints shows that scope reduction will not enable you to meet the originally estimated end date or budget. What do you do?
A. Inform the project sponsor that a scope reduction will not allow the project to meet the original timeline or budget and await further instruction.
B. Re-estimate the entire project in terms of scope, timeline, and budget and then present the project sponsor with each available option, given the project assumptions and constraints.
C. Reduce the scope and proceed with the direction given by the project sponsor.
D. None of the above.
1. Answer C is the best response. You have a responsibility to cooperate with PMI concerning ethics violations and the collection of related information. You have a further responsibility to support and disseminate the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. You must provide accurate, truthful representations concerning qualifications, experience, and performance of services. Answers A, B, and D conflict with these responsibilities.
2. Answer B is the best response. You have a responsibility to provide accurate and truthful representations in the preparation of estimates concerning costs, services, and expected results. It is your responsibility as a project management professional to give the project sponsor all the information pertinent to make informed decisions regarding the viability and continuation of a project.
Taking responsibility simply means that the project manager takes ownership for the decisions and actions made, as well as the consequences of the results. This responsibility also addresses decisions and actions that should have been made but were not. The position of project manager carries a lot of responsibility, and we, as project management practitioners, must treat that responsibility with care. In a nutshell, this section says that the project manager will honor the commitments of the project and take responsibility for the result of the project.
Aspirational Standards for Responsibility
The aspirational standards for responsibility include the decisions and the approach to the decision-making process that lead to a transparent method of managing projects that instills confidence in the process. Remember that the aspirational standards are things we should do. The aspirational standards for responsibility include
Upholding the best interests of society, public safety, and the environment in all decisions and actions
Only accepting assignments for which you are prepared, based on your background, experience, skill, and qualifications
Doing what you say you will do—fulfilling your commitments
In making a mistake, owning up to it and correcting it promptly
Protecting proprietary and confidential information
Upholding this Code and holding others accountable to it
Mandatory Standards for Responsibility
In all categories of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, the mandatory standards are the things we must do. Failure to comply with the mandatory standards will likely tarnish the overall perception of project managers. The mandatory standards for responsibility include
Knowing and upholding all policies, rules, regulations, and laws that are applicable to work, professional, and volunteer activities
Reporting any unethical or illegal activity
Reporting Code violations for resolution
Only filing ethics violations that are substantiated by facts
Pursuing disciplinary action against any individual who retaliates against anyone who raises an ethics issue
ExamAlert
It should go without saying that a project manager should obey all the rules. However, pay attention to the fact that obeying all the rules is clearly stated in the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. You very well might see a question on the exam based on this simple premise.
Ethics Complaints
As a project management professional, you have a professional responsibility to report possible violations of professional conduct within the project management professional community. This is a self-policing provision. However, before you bring any accusations to the appropriate authorities, you must ensure that you have the facts. If you cannot substantiate your claims, do more research or drop the complaint.
In accordance with your charge to report professional conduct violations, you are also required to cooperate with PMI in its investigation of ethics violations and the collection of pertinent information. An investigation requiring your cooperation might arise independently of you actually reporting a possible ethics violation. Further, you are required to pursue disciplinary action against any individual who retaliates against a person raising ethics concerns.
Responsible Conduct
In performing professional project management services for customers, it is imperative that you meet your customer’s expectations and complete all work in accordance with the agreed-upon scope and objectives. Your customer should approve any deviations from or changes to the work plan.
Confidentiality should be maintained at all times. This applies in the case of intellectual property and also in the context of all professional activities performed.
1. You have access to proprietary information a vendor included as part of a bid proposal. The information was marked confidential and was included to show that the vendor would be issued a patent by the end of the month, which makes this company’s bid the best candidate for your company and significantly improves the market share of the vendor. What do you do with this information?
A. Invest in the company immediately
B. Tell your friends to invest in this company
C. Wait until the information becomes public knowledge and then decide if you want to invest in the company
D. Provide the proprietary information to a competing vendor
2. You are a project manager working on a project that has had numerous change requests from the customer that have resulted in scope creep. The project is over schedule and over budget. The remaining scope entails preferred user requirements that do not affect the operation of the application. You can complete the project this month if you reduce the scope and remove these preferred user requirements. What do you do?
A. Continue with the project and complete the remaining scope
B. Explain to the customer the benefits of reducing scope and make the customer sign off on this final change request
C. Reduce the scope, do not document this change, and tell the customer the project has been completed
D. Explain to the customer that the preferred user requirements are not possible and get the customer to sign off on this final change request reducing the project scope
1. Answer C is the best response. You have a responsibility to maintain and respect the confidentiality of sensitive information obtained in the course of professional activities. This responsibility makes Answers A and B incorrect. You have a responsibility to recognize and respect intellectual property developed and owned by others, which makes Answer D an incorrect choice.
2. Answer A is the best response. You have a responsibility to maintain and satisfy the scope and objectives of professional services, unless otherwise directed by your customer. Answers B, C, and D require manipulation of your customer and/or falsification of information, which is not in compliance with professional conduct.
The manner in which we treat people and things is based on the value we place on them. The standard of respect states that we should treat people and resources as though we value them. In the context of project management, these might include people, money, reputation, safety, and environmental resources. These resources are entrusted to the project manager and must be treated with the utmost respect.
Aspirational Standards for Respect
The aspirational standards for respect include developing an environment that promotes trust, confidence, and excellence for all who are engaged in the project. The aspirational standards for respect include
Learning the norms and customs of others and avoiding behaviors that could be disrespectful
Listening to and attempting to understand others’ points of view
Dealing with conflict and disagreement directly with the other person
Conducting yourself in a professional manner, even when not everyone else does so
Mandatory Standards for Respect
The mandatory standards for respect include
Negotiating in good faith
Not using your authority to influence others to your personal benefit
Never acting in an abusive manner toward others
Respecting others’ property rights
ExamAlert
Remember that respect includes showing a high regard to more than just other people. There might be questions on the exam that require you to understand that respect also applies to money, reputation, the safety of others, and natural or environmental resources.
The Impact of Respect
An overwhelming number of conflicts among any group of people boil down to one simple issue: a lack of respect. Failing to show respect or actively showing disrespect will cause a conflict faster than nearly any other single action (or omission). Every person has a set of expectations about how to act. Trying to react to different behavioral standards can be tricky, but it is an important skill for a project manager.
There are many different issues related to respect, but the most important areas in which most people have well-developed respect expectations include
Religious beliefs
Political beliefs
Allegiance to other people and/or organizations
Perceived or actual rank or status
Cultural practices
The preceding list is only a partial listing of areas in which certain levels of respect are expected. If a person, through intent or ignorance, shows disrespect to something or someone, conflict might result. Examples of a disrespectful act can be as simple as a comment about a revered sports team or as egregious as a religious slur. You should avoid all forms of disrespect, and you must treat all people equally with respect in all cases.
1. You are a project manager who has noticed that one of your team members is visibly agitated. The team member is upset because of pictures displayed in another team member’s cubicle. The pictures are clearly visible and do not appear objectionable to you. What should you do?
A. Encourage the upset team member to stop making a big deal over nothing.
B. Meet with the team member who has displayed the pictures, make a few jokes to keep it light, then suggest that the pictures be displayed in a less obvious place.
C. Meet with the team member who is upset to try and understand the basis for the concern. Work with the team member to find an acceptable solution.
D. Notify human resources that there is a personnel problem that needs attention.
2. While leading a project status meeting, a functional manager disagrees with a decision you have made and makes it a point to be very vocal about it. He uses the meeting to express his doubts about your skills and even goes so far as to suggest that your race plays a part in the way you make decisions. How should you react?
A. Do nothing. File a complaint with the manager’s boss after the meeting.
B. Use your authority as the meeting leader to take control of the discussion and present your rebuttal.
C. Suggest an immediate meeting between the two of you to discuss your differences.
D. Bring the manager’s boss into the meeting and ask for assistance in addressing his comments.
1. Answer C is the best choice. One aspect of respect is listening to others and trying to understand them. Your best option is to start with the team member who is agitated and try to understand the cause of the agitation. You might find that the objection is valid after you have heard the other person’s point of view. Answers A and B do not show respect to your team member, and Answer D just attempts to pass the responsibility to someone else.
2. Answer C is the correct answer. The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct requires that you act in a professional manner even when others do not. Answer A is incorrect because doing nothing solves nothing. Going to the manager’s boss is likely to make the situation worse, not better. Answer B is incorrect because it is an emotional response, not a professional one. Answer D is incorrect because you should always first attempt to solve differences one-on-one.
1. A vendor sends you a holiday greeting card signed by the company’s staff using digital signatures. Included in the card is a gift certificate for $100 at a local steakhouse, addressed to recipient. You know that your company has a policy against accepting compensation for personal gain. What do you do?
A. Use the certificate to go out to dinner with a friend
B. Return the gift certificate and explain your company’s policy on gift acceptance
C. Donate the gift certificate to a 503(c) charity
D. Give the gift certificate to your boss
2. A meeting with a vendor runs late, and a suggestion is made that the meeting should be continued over dinner. When the bill arrives, the vendor offers to pay for your meal. How do you respond?
A. You accept and thank him for the meal.
B. You accept and tell him you will pay for the next meal.
C. You counter and offer to pay for his meal on your expense account.
D. You decline and pay for your own meal.
1. Answer B is the best response. You have a responsibility to refrain from accepting inappropriate payments, gifts, or other forms of compensation for personal gain, according to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. You might have additional responsibilities in accordance with your company’s policies and procedures. Answer A is not correct because accepting the gift would be a violation of the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Answer C is not correct because the vendor might be led to believe the gift was accepted and the appearance of impropriety might still exist. Although Answer D might seem acceptable, it is not the best response of the choices given.
2. Answer D is the best response. You have a responsibility to refrain from accepting inappropriate forms of compensation for personal gain. Answer A is incorrect for this reason. You have a responsibility to refrain from offering inappropriate forms of compensation for personal gain, making Answer C incorrect. Answer B is a poor choice because the appearance of impropriety is present.
As a project manager, you are responsible for managing the project and moving toward a successful outcome of the project. Because all projects are initiated to meet some need of the sponsoring organization, it is your responsibility to ensure that the goal is fulfilled. The only way to ensure that the needs of the sponsoring organization are being met is to manage the project fairly. An unfair decision is one that puts the project manager’s desire above the stated goals of the project. All your decisions should be made impartially and fairly. The tangible and intangible effects of transparent fairness strengthen your project team and increase your ability to meet your project’s goals.
Aspirational Standards for Fairness
The aspirational standards for fairness affect how project managers make decisions. Fair decisions are those made impartially and objectively. It is important that a project manager not render decisions that involve competing self-interests, prejudice, or favoritism. In short, your decisions as a project manager should benefit the project, not yourself. The aspirational standards for fairness include
Demonstrating transparency in your decision-making process
Reexamining your impartiality and objectivity on a continual basis
Providing equal access to information for authorized personnel
Making opportunities available to all qualified candidates without favoring one over another
Mandatory Standards for Fairness
The mandatory standards for fairness include
Fully disclosing any real or potential conflicts of interest to the appropriate stakeholders
Not participating in the decision-making process any time you identify a conflict of interest until the conflict of interest has been addressed by the stakeholders and you are authorized to re-engage
Not allowing personal considerations to enter into any decisions related to personnel decisions
Not discriminating against others for any reason
Not allowing favoritism or prejudice to influence how you apply the rules of your organization
Conflict of Interest
Full disclosure of any conflicts of interest, either real or perceived, to all stakeholders is crucial in complying with the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. You are responsible for informing clients, customers, owners, contractors, and/or vendors of even the appearance of impropriety.
Conflicts of interest can arise if you are related to a vendor performing services for your company or have previous unacknowledged relationships with contractors who are bidding on work you are responsible for managing. This applies to your entire project team. In an ideal situation, you would address any potential conflicts of interest prior to project initiation.
Identifying conflicts of interest is a best practice for all business transactions and ensures that all business associates are acting in good faith. If an actual conflict of interest is determined, all stakeholders can decide the best course of action for resolution of the conflict. By disclosing any perceived conflicts of interest, you avoid the appearance of impropriety.
As a project manager with decision-making responsibility that affects a project, you must take the high moral ground. Your judgments and decisions must be beyond reproach. If a conflict of interest arises that is not disclosed, this potential conflict can impair your ability to successfully lead the project. Your client, your fellow team members, and your professional colleagues might question your choices regarding any conflict of interest as well as all other decisions you are responsible for making.
As a project manager, your truthfulness, reputation, and integrity are paramount. PMI believes these are obligations to the profession as well as to the stakeholders. The concept of a conflict of interest being tied to your responsibilities as a project management professional is addressed in all of the four core values in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct but is most strongly identified with fairness.
ExamAlert
Conflict of interest is a key concept. Understanding this concept and its implications to a project is key to truly understanding fairness. Expect the exam to include questions related to conflict of interest.
You have an obligation to acknowledge a conflict of interest, but you must also ensure that a conflict of interest does not compromise the legitimate business interests of your customer. You cannot allow a conflict of interest to influence nor interfere with your judgment or the fulfillment of your professional project management responsibilities. This is particularly important when you are accountable for decision making as the project manager.
You have a responsibility to your client to be forthright. If you engage in behavior that is questionable, or even improper, you are compromising your credibility as a project management professional. Your decisions regarding the specific incident can be tainted, as can your behavior and judgment regarding all facets of the project. Every decision becomes suspect.
Inappropriate payments, gifts, or other forms of compensation for personal gain must be declined. Examples of inappropriate compensation can vary from the seemingly innocuous, such as theater tickets or lunch paid for by a vendor, to the more extreme, such as cash payments or vacation packages.
Similarly, you should refrain from offering inappropriate payments, gifts, or other forms of compensation to another party for personal gain. You might be familiar with the term kickback, which has been used to describe this activity in various industries. The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is explicit in condemning this activity.
PMI makes exceptions in cases where offering or accepting payments, gifts, or other forms of compensation for personal gain conforms with applicable laws or customs of the country where project management services are being performed. In instances where you believe this exception might be valid, consult a legal professional. This practice is not acceptable for companies incorporated within the United States, regardless of where they are doing business.
Your obligation to be trustworthy and exemplify a high standard of integrity is implicit within the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Inflating the number of project hours worked by team members to appear ahead of schedule or even on schedule is inappropriate. Overstating your hourly rates to make the project appear to be operating within budget when you are funneling those funds to other project costs, tinkering with progress/status reports, and manipulating project milestones to appear on time and on budget are simply wrong. Such actions are insults to the profession of project management and are not ethical.
More often than not, you know if your actions are creating a conflict of interest or if you are engaging in questionable behavior. If you cannot be completely honest with all parties regarding your actions, they are suspect. If you catch yourself thinking “What the client doesn’t know won’t hurt them” or not fully disclosing information to your own project team, your actions are improper. You might have the greater good of the project at heart when you claim that Phase I of the project completed on schedule because you plan to use more resources in Phase II to make up the gap, but this is false reporting. You must be honest with your client regarding the true status of the project and then work with the affected parties to develop strategies for mitigating the problem.
You must also be honest with your project team. Your responsibility in this regard is two-fold: You have an obligation to communicate openly with your fellow team workers; furthermore, as the project manager, you are the team lead for the project and must lead by example.
Communicating honestly, openly, and effectively with your client and your project team can be difficult. It is hard to tell a paying client that a project is facing severe setbacks and obstacles, particularly when the client might (rightly or wrongly) hold you accountable for the problems. A client might continue to make change requests late into development or place unrealistic demands on you and your team in terms of the project budget, scope, and timeline.
Similarly, it can be tough to deal with a project team during a stressful implementation. You might have team members you do not personally like and whom you did not select for your team. There might be interpersonal conflicts. Such situations can lead to breakdowns in communication and are normal scenarios you might face during a project. These problems are compounded when a conflict of interest, real or perceived, is present.
As the project manager, you do not want to compound your workload by ignoring or discounting potential conflicts of interest, regardless of when they arise during the project. Address as many issues as possible at the beginning of the project, during the planning process. You set the tone for the entire project by how you broach issues up front. If your client and project team see you minimizing or negating issues, the die is cast for other team members to do the same. Furthermore, your integrity is compromised.
You must also be vigilant throughout the project, actively identifying and mitigating issues regarding conflict of interest. Sometimes a potential conflict of interest does not make itself known until midway through a project. Always recognize conflicts of interest at their earliest point of origin. This ensures your client and project team that you are above board. If situations arise that were unknown and for some reason were not immediately addressed and rectified, make the conflict of interest transparent to all parties as soon as possible. This is essential to maintaining your credibility as a project management professional with your client, your team, and the public.
In summary, avoid conflicts of interest. If this is not a viable option, identify and acknowledge conflicts of interest, both real and potential, as soon as possible. Avoid all situations where your honesty and integrity as a project manager can be questioned or condemned. If you question the ethical consequences of an action or feel a decision should be hidden from your project team, you should not engage in the behavior.
ExamAlert
Expect scenario-based questions on the exam that are related to conflict of interest. These questions ask you to determine what you would do in a given situation. Be careful to select the best response, in accordance with the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. There might be multiple answers that appear to be correct. In these instances, narrow your choices by determining the clearly incorrect answers and then select the best response from the remaining choices.
1. Your spouse works for a vendor that is bidding on a project at your company. You are not affiliated with the specific project team that is evaluating bids, but you are part of the executive project management team. What do you do?
A. Inform your company of the relationship
B. Inform the vendor of the relationship
C. Both A and B
D. Disqualify the vendor
2. You work for a U.S.-based company hired to perform project management services in a foreign country. Other companies that have done business in this country inform you that gifts must be made to the government to obtain the necessary project approvals. What do you do?
A. Offer the recommended gifts to obtain project approvals
B. Do not offer gifts to obtain project approvals
C. Ignore the need for project approvals
D. Both B and C
1. Answer C is the best response. You have a responsibility to disclose to both the vendor and your company significant circumstances that could be construed as a conflict of interest or an appearance of impropriety. Answers A and B are both correct but are not the best responses. Answer D is not correct. You have an obligation to disclose the information. Your company and the vendor can decide the best course of action, given the information.
2. Answer B is the best response. Answer A is not correct because you have a responsibility to refrain from offering inappropriate gifts for personal gain. The exemption regarding conformity with applicable laws or customs of the country where project management services are being performed does not apply because you are working for a U.S.-based company and are subject to U.S. law. Answers C and D are incorrect because you have a responsibility to comply with laws and regulations in the country where providing project management services requires project approvals.
1. You apply for a position at a company and list PMI membership on your resume. The company wants to hire a PMP. You are scheduled to take the PMP exam in a few days. At your interview, a comment is made implying that you are PMP certified. What do you do?
A. Provide no clarification. Your resume states that you are a member of PMI. An assumption that you are PMP certified is not your responsibility to correct, and you will be certified soon if you pass the exam.
B. Clarify that you are a member of PMI and are scheduled to take your PMP certification exam soon but are not yet PMP certified.
C. Confirm that you are a member of PMI but do not address PMP status.
D. Confirm that you are a member of PMI and are PMP certified. You will be certified soon if you pass the exam.
1. Answer B is the best response. You have a responsibility to provide accurate, truthful representations concerning your qualifications, experience, and performance of services. Answers A and C are lies of omission. You are misleading the hiring company about your qualifications. Answer D is a lie of fact, which could result in revocation of your PMI membership and your PMP certification.
The final value in the four core values for project managers is honesty. In some perspectives, it is the most basic and elemental of the four. Without honesty, the other values have virtually no impact. In an environment lacking trust, no one believes they are being treated fairly or with respect. Honesty lays the foundation for all project activities and interaction.
Aspirational Standards for Honesty
The aspirational standards for honesty are pretty basic and straightforward. In short, you should understand the truth and always act in a truthful manner. The aspirational standards for honesty include
Earnestly seeking to understand the truth
Being truthful in all that you do and say
Providing accurate and timely information
Making all commitments in good faith
Making every effort to create an environment where everyone feels safe to tell the truth
Mandatory Standards for Honesty
The mandatory standards for honesty include
Never engaging in, nor condoning, any behavior that knowingly deceives others
Not engaging in dishonest activity designed to benefit one person at the expense of another
Qualifications, Experience, and Performance of Professional Services
As a project manager, you are required to be accurate and truthful in your representations to PMI as well in your professional undertakings. You have a duty to properly represent your qualifications, experience, and performance of professional services when soliciting work and advertising. Estimates of costs, services, and expected results should be justly presented. You are accountable for providing accurate, trustworthy information to customers and the public.
ExamAlert
You are responsible for accurate and truthful representations in the information you present to PMI and to the public. The concept appears throughout the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Expect questions on the exam regarding this concept.
1. Falsification of information at any point during the PMI certification program can result in
A. Revocation of your PMI membership
B. Revocation of your PMP certification
C. Notification of your employer
D. Both A and B
2. You are responsible for developing a cost estimate to bid on a government contract. The scope was set by the government. Your supervisor says the cost estimate is too high and should be reduced by one-third to ensure that your company wins the contract. Your analysis shows that any reduction to the proposed cost estimate makes the project unable to meet the specified scope. What do you do?
A. Reduce the cost estimate and submit the proposal
B. Submit your initial cost estimate without reducing the cost
C. Explain to your supervisor in writing that your analysis shows that a reduction in the cost estimate makes the project unable to meet the specified scope
D. Both A and C
1. Answer D is the best response. Falsification of any information directly or indirectly related to all aspects of the PMI certification program can result in both revocation of your PMI membership and your PMP certification. Although Answers A and B are both correct, they are not the best responses. Answer C is not correct. PMI will not notify your employer if you falsify information at any point during the PMI certification program.
2. Answer C is the best response. You have a responsibility to provide accurate and truthful representations in the preparation of estimates concerning costs, services, and expected results. This responsibility makes Answers A and D inappropriate. You have accountability to your management, and Answer B is not appropriate because you are usurping your manager’s authority and undermining your own professional conduct by doing so.
What Next?
If you want more practice on this chapter’s exam topics before you move on, remember that you can access all of the Cram Quiz questions on the CD. You can also create a custom exam by topic with the practice exam software. Note any topic you struggle with and go to that topic’s material in this chapter.