Ethics are a funny thing

Well, not really… I had this post bugging me for a long while, triggered by this Mentisor podcast, but I was kind of busy and my mind was somewhere else.  The first topic in the podcast is ethics and asks the question “Is spending $10,000 to save your client $5000 unethical if that client doesn't know better?”.  The Mentisor guys make a number of good points, some I disagree with, on this topic.

Those of us who have had the pleasure of taking the PMP exam and practice tests prior to the exam know that ethics are not black and white; there are cultural as well as moral aspects to them.  Some approaches are fine in some cultures or setting and taboo in others.

Going back to the Mentisor podcast, what if the client “wants” to have the answer even if it costs more to do so than the potential savings?  I think that, in this particular case, if you inform the client and he says to do it anyway there is no ethics question.  I can provide personal examples of this:

• I was involved in a pharmaceutical project that was in its startup phase; the client was asking us to make little changes as problems crept up.  This is a costly way of doing things but, based on my limited experience at the time, I was playing along.  The client was happy and my bosses too because I was charging time to the project.  However, after more than a few changes, I was getting bored and told the client that it would be more efficient to gang the changes together as it saved on paperwork and overall effort.  The client resisted and my PM was less than happy.  Eventually, the client came to see my point because the original approach was a drain on resources and funds.  Note that I’m not claiming that this was an ethical suggestion on my part; I’m not a drone and I don’t like to do the same thing over and over.  These days, with experience and wisdom (???), I would push the client to my way and I would actually refuse to work one fix at a time otherwise I’d feel like I’m stealing from my client.
• Another of my clients will spend almost any sum to account for inventory of an active ingredient prior to writing it off.  One could say that it is a waste of money but not doing so could trigger an audit due to Sarbanes Oxley.  Companies could write off high value materials that have never actually been produced to offset profits and the audit is the big hammer provided by law to make companies comply.  The cost of accounting for inventory pales in comparison to the regulatory impact on the company.
• One area where ethics are clearly involved in safety of people or the environment; if you are asked to do something that could harm either you have to refuse to do the work.  Years ago I was interviewed for a job where the HR guys kept coming back to matter of ethics.  Is tack was that if my higher ups were OK with an approach I should be too.  They offered me the job even after I pushed back; I walked away.  Never regretted it.

What do you think?  As always comments are welcome.

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Comments

[Shim Marom]

Hi Patrick, refreshing to see a fellow PM dealing with issues of ethics.

I would have liked to see much more debate relating to the social responsibility associated with managing projects. I am aware of the considerations raised by some regarding the major role processes and techniques play in the execution of projects, and I don't have an issue with those. Without following established and proven processes projects will simply fail. This however does not negate the need to look after people, protect the environment and simply exhibit social responsibility. I would have liked to see PM’s being recognized not just for the brilliancy in which they navigated their project ship but also for the way they treated their most valuable resource – people.

I’ve had a frank and open discussion with a developer working on a project managed by a colleague PM. What I heard got my ethical bell ringing. This developer is working 10-12 hours each day because she knows that lack of progress on her project might result in business people downstream lose their jobs. Now this is a pure ethical issue. She is exhausting herself to save people’s jobs, while the project management of her project, who created a false and untenable timeline, is happy for her to work these ridiculous hours in order to save their faltering schedule.

Although I found her motives admirable I advised her to slow down so as not to burn herself out. Now, I’m sure there would be (and there most certainly are) PM’s out there who wouldn’t see what the fuss is all about. There are objectives to meet and timelines to achieve, so what is some people put some extra effort in – after all they are being paid for it, don’t they? The answer is simply NO! Running away from making ethically correct decisions shouldn’t be encouraged and project managers should be harshly judged should they ignore their social responsibility in managing their teams.

Wow, what a rant.

[Patrick Richard]

Shim,

Thank you for your comments. I don't know why questions of ethics or leadership are not discussed more but I personally like both. This probably confirms that I am a weird animal...

I don't know that I see the example of the developer you mention as an ethics issue on her part. It shows dedication which is admirable and sadly rare these days. The matter with her leadership is different; they appear to be misleading people and exploiting them which is clearly wrong.

Feel free to rant anytime... :-)