Ethical Dilemma in ICT Project Management: A Case Study Analysis

This report analyzes an ethical dilemma arising in an ICT project management scenario. The case study involves a software development company facing client requests for changes after delivery. The project manager's actions, including communication with developers, client interactions, and the use of a change control board, are evaluated. The report applies the ACS Code of Professional Conduct to assess the ethical implications of these actions, focusing on principles like public interest, honesty, competence, and professionalism. The analysis reveals potential ethical violations, such as misleading clients and misrepresenting skills. The report recommends improved communication, adherence to ethical guidelines, and the consideration of stakeholders' perspectives to mitigate ethical risks. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of ethical choices for project success and organizational reputation.

Running head: ETHICAL DILEMMA AND ICT
Ethical Dilemma and ICT
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Author Note

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Executive summary
The ACS Code of conducts has been the process under which businesspeople develops the guideline
sets. On the basis of that be can conduct and operate their roles. Further, the assessment required to
be upholding sets of ethical standards falling under ICT professionals. This is before making any
kind of ultimate level of decisions, taking actions and then documenting the signs of progress. It is
the areas driven with a different type of decisions. In the following report, the ethical dilemmas
arising in a business and the ways of dealing with the project manager is evaluated.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:..........................................................................................................................................3
Understanding the present scenario:......................................................................................................3
Discussion on ACS Code of Professional Conduct Professional Standards:........................................4
Analysis of the current case:..................................................................................................................4
Conclusion:............................................................................................................................................6
References:............................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction:
The project management is the area that is driven through various decisions. Often this is in
dozen or more than that. Few decisions are barely noticed and small and others are also prominent.
There are few that need in-depth thoughts since they include environment, resources and people. At
many times the factors are within conflicts and generate the dilemma and important risks. As the
project managers never know what is to be done, the ways that can be hazardous, particularly as
there is a conflict between stakeholder interests. Similar to the leaders, the project managers develop
trusts the way they make the decisions. Here also, how to do that is puzzling and is instrumentally
vital. Ethics is the area that deals with this “how to do that in the best way” (Müller & Kvalnes,
2016). The ACS code of conduct is the procedure within which the individuals and business can
develop the set of guidelines are based on which they can operate and conduct the duties. The
analysis needs to uphold the ethical standard sets that fall within the ICT professionals prior to
making any ultimate decisions, documenting progress and taking action. In this study, a specific case
scenario of a business providing software to a client and the feedback leading to ethical dilemma to
the project and manager is demonstrated.
Understanding the present scenario:
It is seen that in the company, their client asked for further changes in the software which is
provided to him by the organization. In that situation, the project manager has asked their developed
to forward him the calls. Further, the manager stopped the development as a result of that and
moreover, screams at the junior development. Then, he sets up the control board for change. Next,
he is seen to be meeting the clients to reach consensus apart from those requirements at the initial

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stage. Moreover, the contracts are upgraded. Ultimately, the project manager encourages the
developer’s activities.
Discussion on ACS Code of Professional Conduct Professional Standards:
Firstly, the primacy of public interest is to be considered here. Here, the public interest takes
the precedence more than personal level under the context of code generated. Then, there is the
enhancement of life’s quality. The negative impacts of the ICT are to be minimized and identified
through the ethical approaches. Equal access must be promoted to the advantages of ICT by every
member of society. Next, the honesty is to be considered. Between the courses of the profession, the
situations can undoubtedly arise, that might be advantageous to be deceptive in any way. Besides,
between the professional courses, the situations can arise undoubtedly in the place where that might
appear to be advantageous for one to be deceptive in a few manners. It is a kind of behaviour that
has never been acceptable for any sort of professional conducts (Ayodele, Yao & Haron, 2019).
Next, the competence re to be considered. It is important to understand every facet of ICT as
required in might be able to identify the extra information and expertise. Regarding professional
development, one must be kept updated with the latest technologies relevant and useful for working.
For professionalism, the ACS is also helpful for everyone to recover and resolve ethical problems
providing support to take suitable measures. For honesty, the clients must never be misled as per
product and service suitability and competence must be there to happily accept the liability of
individual works. Regarding professionalism, all actions must refrain from the professional role
tarnishing the professional image (Plemmons et al., 2020).

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Analysis of the current case:
As per the rule of ACS ethics, the organization need to maintain public interest, competence,
professionalism and honesty to their works. The rule of ACS never permit the business to provide
the wrong service and product for the clients and then mislead clients as per their individual services
and products (Moylan, 2016). The regulations of the ACS code of professional conduct is applicable
to members who are working in the sectors of ICT. For the present study, the base of the core values
at various sector are to be considered to seek ethical issues. At first, pubic interest primacy is to be
taken into consideration. This must deliver the reference towards public interest on the personal
interest having sectional and private essentials (Greenwood, 2016). According to the code, the
business must discuss with the clients prior to sending the software to be tested with the codes. As
they fail to follow the codes of basic public interest that denotes the unethical type of behaviour
towards clients. At this place, they can play with the client’s emotions and expectations with sending
their software for testing. Hence, it can be said that business practices are unethical in nature as per
primary public interests. The adverse problems arise since the development of ICT solutions gat be
overcome effectively with using code of conducts (Silvius, 2017). According to the development of
the quality of life is considered, the core value of ACS, professionals must know and respect the
perspective of all stakeholders that have been affected by the activities. The senior developers can
fail to know the point of view of the software developer who is working under tight time schedules.
Again, personal satisfaction of clients has been impacted negatively as the software has been sent to
the third party to test the codes. Thus, the practices are unethical in nature. Further, in this case,
honesty is to be considered importantly (Jia & Xin, 2018).
According to the core value, it is unethical activity to breach expectations of stakeholders in
any professional. Further, the senior development never makes any consultation with the client in
overseas code testing influencing the trust of the client in the business. Then, competence must be

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taken into consideration (Mooney et al., 2017). According to the code, professionals should never be
misrepresenting their knowledge and skills. At that situation, senior developers might make the
discussion to make activities under different versions of products though discussion with clients
indicates unethical behaviours of senior developer for clients. Then, professionalism is to be taken
into consideration. This must be against various experts who abide by professional codes (Donegan,
Ganon & Johnson, 2017).
At the current situation, project managers should be following the code of professional ethics
as they must never restrict senior developer from any sort for sending software code for the third
party to make the tests to be completed. Practices of managers and various senior developers have
been against professional code of conducts. Further, there is the case of professional developing
(Leese, 2017). According to that code of conducts at the present scenario professionals must keep
themselves to be aware of new standards, practices a technology that is related to those activities. It
is vital for experts to spread awareness of issues that affect the profession. In the current scenario,
senor developers have never been able to follow that code of consult as they must never try to
demonstrate the total matter with clients display unethical type of behaviours (Okedara, Ejohwomu
& Chan, 2019). At the current case, above all, the honesty from the code of conduct is important for
project managers. Here, they should never be misleading potential clients and know to make
differences between the professional and personal device and the opinions and then the quality of the
opinions on the basis of restricted knowledge and experiences (Brewer & Dittman, 2018).
Conclusion:
In the present scenario, it is recommended that business should be hiring more number of
human resources. It is useful to get software products to get tested under company though there is
any sort of ending of code to third parties. With that, it is also suggested project managers must also

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discuss entre matter with the clients to make more amount of time for software development. The
code of Ethics and Professional Conduct demonstrates the ethical values like fairness, responsibility
respect, honesty and trusts. As per the ACS code of conducts and the ethics are helpful to decrease
the number of spam accounts from systems. At the same time, one can formally make
communication for the suggested move towards the account holders. It is helpful to be informed
about account holders intending the retention of accounts for further usage acting as moral
behaviour. This can prevent adverse pubic misconducts and sentiments. The attempt is also useful to
promote sentiment of people for the brand along with boosting public interests in that brand because
of best practices and the integrity or profession and workplace. As the project manager, they should
be facing complicated ethical decisions in a prompt manner. Irrespective of the reality that PMP
certification has been held by one, PMI Code of the Ethics provides useful common guidance or the
ethical project management having decision making. Thus it can be concluded by stating that per
ACS code of conduct, organizational practices have been opposite to ethics. Nevertheless, in the last,
it must be reminded that bodies such as ACS is searching the de-facto role of the gatekeeping having
credentials for attaining cachet of the employments that is complicated to watch the workable
manner. Again, the ethical choices are able to decrease the risks, difference positive outcomes, rise
the trusts, find out the prolonged success and develop the reputations. The leadership is totally
reliable over the ethical choices.

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References:
Ayodele, F. O., Yao, L., & Haron, H. (2019). Promoting ethics and integrity in management
academic research: Retraction initiative. Science and engineering ethics, 25(2), 357-382.
Brewer, J. L., & Dittman, K. C. (2018). Methods of IT project management. Purdue University
Press.
Donegan, J., Ganon, M., & Johnson, Z. (2017). Influencers of Earnings Management Fraud:
Coercion, Project Stage, and Ethics. Journal of Managerial Issues, 29(2), 169-119.
Greenwood, M. (2016). Approving or improving research ethics in management journals. Journal of
Business Ethics, 137(3), 507-520.
Jia, J., & Xin, J. (2018, May). Integration of ethics issues into software engineering management
education. In Proceedings of ACM Turing Celebration Conference-China (pp. 33-38).
Leese, M. (2017). Holding the project accountable: Research governance, ethics, and democracy.
Science and engineering ethics, 23(6), 1597-1616.
Mooney, P., Olteanu-Raimond, A. M., Touya, G., Juul, N., Alvanides, S., & Kerle, N. (2017).
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Moylan, W. A. (2016). Ethics in Project Management. In Gower Handbook of People in Project
Management (pp. 369-384). Routledge.
Müller, R., & Kvalnes, Ø. (2016). 12W Project Governance and Project Ethics. Governance and
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Okedara, K., Ejohwomu, O., & Chan, P. (2019, July). Ethics and Stakeholder Engagement for
Industry/Construction 4.0: A Systematic Review. In Construction Industry Development
Board Postgraduate Research Conference (pp. 577-587). Springer, Cham.
Plemmons, D. K., Baranski, E. N., Harp, K., Lo, D. D., Soderberg, C. K., Errington, T. M., ... &
Esterling, K. M. (2020). A randomized trial of a lab-embedded discourse intervention to
improve research ethics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Silvius, G. (2017). Sustainability as a new school of thought in project management. Journal of
Cleaner Production, 166, 1479-1493.