It is now time to review a case study that focuses on ethical behavior.
Access the Open APM’s ethics case study resource provided below to read a scenario concerning ethics in projects.
Can you pinpoint a few instances of professional conduct highlighted in this scenario? Reflect on the skills employed to integrate ethical considerations into the decisions made by the individuals involved. Can you recognize them?
Share your responses in the discussion section below.
After posting your comment, proceed to the next step, where you will find some potential answers provided by APM for these questions.
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In my own opinion , lack of good communication absence of professional conduct can lead to avoc within the project member and can jeopardize the whole plan of the project.
In my own opinion, the issues of professional conduct featured here are:
Mr Williams: lacks teamwork , and failed to follow the rules and regulations and due processes.
Mr John: Failed to critically analyze and evaluate the report before going through with it.
The skills demonstrated to tackle this were:
1. Communication
2.risk assessment
3. Collaboration
4.open mindedness
In my own opinion:
The issue of professional conduct featured here is :
Conflict of Interest: John’s personal relationship with the opinion research firm and his enthusiasm for the report’s findings may have influenced his objectivity.
2. Lack of Critical Evaluation: John’s initial acceptance of the report without thoroughly reviewing its methodology and findings.
And the Skills Used to Bring Ethics into Decision-Making:
1. Critical Thinking: Karen’s scrutiny of the report’s methodology and findings.
2. Risk Assessment: Identifying potential hurdles and consequences of proceeding with the report.
In my own opinion, the issues of professional conduct featured in the scenario are:
a). Mr. Williams did not follow the rules & regulations of services delivery.
b). The root of organizational culture was traded off.
c). Mr. Williams presented a false/doctored report for Mr. John which is unethical. Flaws were identified within the report. He was not transparent.
d). Mr. John shouldn’t have agreed to accept Mr. Williams reports. Its against the background of ethical practices,
However, the following skills were demonstrated by the people:
a) Research works/exercise
b). Communication
c). Collaboration
d). Ability to manage Risk.
In my opinion there was no proper communication .
William was just focused on completing the project without ensuring that an excellent job was done which would have required speaking to the stakeholders.
There was also no teamwork and a lot of assumptions were made.
Can you identify a couple of issues of professional conduct featured in this scenario?
1. One issue of Professional conduct that I saw was William’s failure to follow due process as seen where he caused him & his team mates to skip the first stage of getting feedback from the key Stakeholders at the Agency
2. Also, William presented John with a seemingly tailored data, based on Karen’s opinion. It’s very unethical to work with a false or incomplete data & feedback knowing full well that the bedrock of implementation of most projects is feedback, & that has to be gotten right
Reflect on what skills were used to help bring ethics into decisions used by the people involved in this scenario. Can you identify them?
The following skills were used to remedy the challenge they were faced with;
1. Research
2. Risk Management
3. Problem Solving
4. Collaboration
Couple of issues noted were the lack of professional skill exhibited by Williams and Karen who obviously weren’t concerned about taking professional steps to achieve the required project.
All they were concerned about was the risk tied to the project and not the possibility of the result that could come out in taking that project risk
2.Skills that were used
regardless of the opposition was that John chose to take up the project knowing the risk attached which is one quality of a project manager
b. Karen took a leap of help after reluctantly realizing the project could still work
c. John gave the project a try and acted on the risk to create a solution…
In the scenario, both good ethical practices and critical mistakes are evident. John showcases commitment to authentic stakeholder engagement, planning structured forums to gather detailed local insights. However, he fails to communicate his expectations clearly to William, leading to a significant misunderstanding about the engagement process. This lack of communication results in William proceeding with his own approach, limiting the quality and depth of stakeholder feedback John expected.
William, on his part, takes a more pragmatic approach by relying on local opinion research to expedite the project. However, he assumes he knows the local stakeholders’ views well enough and doesn’t engage John in a detailed discussion on his research approach, leading to a lack of alignment between them. His focus on moving the project forward quickly, compromises the engagement process and fails to meet John’s standards of a thorough feedback.
Karen’s actions bring both value and potential risk. She shows integrity and courage by voicing her concerns about the report’s overly positive results, despite being new and on probation. While she initially hesitates due to job security concerns, she ultimately collaborates with John to address the issue. Yet, her delay in raising concerns could have compromised the project’s integrity if it had gone unnoticed. Her proactive approach to finding an independent review demonstrates initiative but also reflects a gap in initial quality control that could have prevented the need for outside verification.
Together, these actions highlight both the ethical skills of integrity, accountability, and risk management and areas for improvement, particularly in communication, collaboration, and proactive alignment of project goals. This mix of positive practices and mistakes shows how critical it is for project teams to maintain an open and clear communication to prevent misunderstandings and ensure alignment from the outset.
William carried out a task meant for the team on his own and wasn’t transparent about the method he used for the research and though Karen doubts the credibility of the report she is scared of voicing it. Thanks to John who effectively communicates with other teammates thereby uncovering discrepancies in the report. They saved the company’s reputation and integrity
Yes.
The issues of decision making and risk management,Fear of criticism and how Feedbacks are received are some of the professional conduct noticed in the scenario under discussions.
The different skills of integrity, Communication and Collaboration as well as Problem Solving and Critical Thinking ( which helped Karen discover a way to address issues without causing unnecessary conflict)
are noticed and these help to see Projects concluded.
Professional conduct issue: Williams over looked the correct process of collecting dates and analyzing them which made him not been transparent.
Skill used : first knowing the norms and values of the company helped Karen discover the issues while communication helped to bring ethics into the decision.