From the course: Project Management Foundations: Ethics

An ethical decision-making framework

From the course: Project Management Foundations: Ethics

An ethical decision-making framework

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- While I'm shockingly bad when it comes to using tools and making house repairs, there's one saying for that industry that suits me well in many situations. That is measure twice, cut once. That phrase reminds us to make sure we've done what we need to do accurately before taking an action we can't undo. That's a perfect way to describe ethical decision making. In line with this thinking PMI has provided us with an ethical decision-making model. It guides us through a series of research, like taking measurements before making decisions. The model recommends five steps. They are, one, assess the facts, two, consider alternatives, three, make and evaluate your initial decision, four, apply PMI's ethics, and finally, five, decide. Let's look briefly at each of these steps. First, you assess the facts you have against the ethics of your business and your personal views, the culture of your country, your local environment's norms, and evaluating the law may also be relevant, so consider those as well. Given those facts, you move to the second step. Consider alternatives. This is the time for due diligence. Derive alternative actions and evaluate the pros and cons of each alternative. Next, make and evaluate your initial decision. Examine the positive and negative implications of that decisions on the project, stakeholders, and your organization as a whole. Look at the situation today and how that decision might impact things a year from now. Assess your objectivity and fairness. Focus on anything that may be influencing your decision and ensure they're appropriate influencers and not the result of bias or personal preference. After that evaluation, return to ethics and apply PMI's ethical standards. Remember, measure twice ensure your decision is suitable against PMI's ethical values of responsibility, respect, fairness, and honesty. Then, the last recommended step: Decide on the best option. Share your decision openly and take ownership of the decision you have made. When appropriate, review that decision with your sponsor and stakeholders before taking action. By the way, in the interest of measuring twice, I recommend going through all these steps twice for crucial or emotionally charged decisions. You may just find other ethical implications or business possibilities that will help you in the long run. Finally, in case you're wondering, I always hire an expert to perform house repairs at my place. It's the best ethical decision I can make for me and my family 'cause I clearly don't have the expertise to take on such a role.

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