Understanding Professional and Social Responsibility
As the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam will be revised to incorporate updates to the professional role of a PMP credential holder, it is imperative that candidates nail down PMI’s “Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.” In the most recent iteration of the exam, the PMI Code of Conduct was tested in the final domain. However, effective August 31st, concepts related to this code will be distributed throughout the other five domains; questions will be revised and repositioned to reflect these concepts.
In light of these changes, you should read and understand PMI’s PMP Code of Professional Conduct before you take the exam. The code describes the professional standards that are expected of a project manager. Professional and social responsibility covers four areas. The project manager should:
- ensure individual integrity and professionalism;
- contribute to the project management knowledge base;
- enhance individual professional competence; and
- promote interaction among and balance stakeholders’ interests.
When reviewing the code, you should consider the influence that each of these elements has on managing a project. This code of conduct is the perspective that the updated PMP exam questions are likely to take, emphasizing the role that professional conduct plays in influencing project outcomes. Therefore, when you review any of the process areas of project management, think about how the professional conduct of the project manager can enhance and assure the performance of that process by following this code.
A project manager should act in confidence on behalf of his/her client and should respect confidentiality. If the project manager cannot resolve a conflict of interest, he/she should avoid it. Why? Because conflicts of interest will compromise project performance. Look at the PMBOK processes. Their aim is to promote transparency, clarity and objectivity in performing project work. Likewise, similar ethical qualities in the project manager, such as truthfulness, reinforce the successful execution of these processes.
Despite the wording of some of the situational questions, there are no “grey areas.” There is always one answer that represents the “right thing” to do. If you understand the ethical and professional basis of the code, you should not encounter much difficulty in answering questions correctly when taking the updated version of the PMP exam.
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