Project Management Ethics: A Case Study of Leadership and Risk

This case study analyzes a construction company scenario where a new assistant project manager, Jim Rains, is hired over a long-term superintendent, Bob Moore, leading to ethical dilemmas and project execution challenges. The report evaluates project manager headship, execution, risk exploration, and ethics through assessment, substitutions, investigation, and application. The case highlights issues such as the misuse of company resources, ineffective project planning during rains, and conflicts between personal friendships and professional ethics. It discusses alternative solutions, including confronting the superintendent or transferring project control to the assistant manager, ultimately deciding on a course of action that aims for the greatest good and a positive organizational environment. The analysis also references the PMI Code of Ethics and proposes risk mitigation strategies for improved project outcomes.

Introduction to the case:
The case gives an idea of a construction company wherein a new assistant project manager
named Jim Rains has been hired over a superintendent Bob Moore who has been working for 25
years in the same company. The consequences of their proceedings follow not so well.
Task:
We are to write a report on the given case study on the following points: (1) Project Manager
Headship (2) Project Manager Execution (3) Project Manager Risk Exploration (4) Ethics
Assessment (5) Ethics Substitutions (6) Ethics Investigation (7) Ethics Application (8) Ethics
Achievement (9) References
1. Jim being a new employee and the assistant project manager was head to the
superintendent Bob Moore. Jim was being ethical and did not like Bob’s way of misusing
company’s resources.
Bob Moore was getting his personal works done in company’s account in the name of
carpenters encouragement and motivation which is not the real way of motivation. He was
misusing his powers in the name of leadership. Jim was trying his best as a leader to look
after the works to be done ethically.
2. The execution of the project is not going really well as it could have been. Because there are
nature issue and workplace staff issue. These issues affect the project execution. if
The current process could have been planned wisely before the occurrence of rains. Being a
construction company the workers are aware of the problems occurring during the rains.
The alternative followed could be completing the carpentry work before the occurrence of
rains or after the rains have gone. During the rain process, all works collected the same
place and done the work under the project manager. It creates a healthy environment for the
organization. This way the money and time of the project both could have been saved.
3. The project planning should have been done properly so as to save the time during rains and
done some other work during that time so as to keep the time productive.
The company should have identified the risk of wastage of resources and time.
 During the rain, there may loss of the resource and staff working time
 There is a delay due to rain.

 There may chance designed project change form user side.
Risk mitigation plan
 In organization need a plan to manage the risk.
 First of recognized the risk of organization and after that make a plan.
 Staff is known for the risk plan and their role in the plan which manages risk easy in the
organization.
 Risk plan saved the staff working time and reduce the risk effects in the organization [1].
The risk mitigation plan in this case used should be risk transference and the involvement
should have been transferred to the Assistant Project Manager (Jim).
Figure 1: risk mitigation plan
Source: [4]
4. The ethical dilemmas arising, in this case, are in this case are personal friendships and
professional life.
No, It does not abide by the law. The Superintendent cannot get his personal works done in
the company’s account in the name of the motivation of the carpenters. He only selfish
reasoning in the organization which creates corruption in the organization. Sometime staffs
are demotivated due to negative environments.

No, it does not make straight with the Project MI code of professional and ethics code.
Ethics is regarded as making the best choice in relation to persons, environments and
resources. The ethical decision limits risk, increase results positively, enhance image and
trust, regulate long-term success. Leadership is completely determined by ethical varieties.
PMI members have concluded that responsibility, honesty, fairness, and respect are the
principles that drive ethical conduct for the project management profession. This code
applies values to the real-life practice of project management and the best outcomes are
considered the most ethical one. All PMI volunteers, members, applicants, and certification
holders must fulfill with the PMI Code [2].
5. The possible alternative choices are handing over the project total to the assistant manager
and making him take action as he wants to or confronting the superintendent for doing the
works at his personal interest and warning him not to repeat it again and also to move at the
direction of the assistant project manager. If the whole work is handed over to the assistant
manager at once, the superintendent may feel humiliated as he is quite older than Jim and
also a great experience holder. If the superintendent is confronted he might feel guilty of
what he has done and try not to repeat it again.
6. The candidate decides to confront the superintendent and give him one more chance as he
has served in the company for a really long time and he cannot be expelled from work for
one mistake. The candidate is not taking this decision under any cultural difference and his
decision seems to be a good idea in a year from now. The candidate is in unstressed state of
mind and decides so keeping in mind all the aspects of the case [3].
7. Yes, the choice will result in the greatest good and will prove to be the choice which is fair
and beneficial to all concerned. Because it creates a positive environment in the
organization and creates health environment between staffs. A positive environment has
motivated the staff for the organization.
8. Yes, I am ready to take the responsibility for my decision of confronting the superintendent
and giving him another chance. Yes, I can make this decision public and feel pretty good
about it. And I am ready to act on this decision. If they give the other chance
superintendent, it will motivate him the positive way and it loyal to the company and
resource. And take the necessary decision for future.

References
[1].M. Herrera, "Four Types of Risk Mitigation and BCM Governance, Risk and
Compliance", MHA Consulting, 2013. [Online]. Available:
https://www.mha-it.com/2013/05/four-types-of-risk-mitigation/. [Accessed: 07- May- 2018].
[2]."Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct", Project Management institute. [Online].
Available: https://www.pmi.org/about/ethics/code. [Accessed: 07- May- 2018].
[3].P. Managers, "Ethics Resources for Project Managers", Pmi.org, 2018. [Online]. Available:
https://www.pmi.org/about/ethics/resources. [Accessed: 07- May- 2018].
[4].The MITRE Corporation. (2013). Risk Mitigation Planning, Implementation, and Progress
Monitoring. [online] Available at: https://www.mitre.org/publications/systems-engineering-
guide/acquisition-systems-engineering/risk-management/risk-mitigation-planning-
implementation-and-progress-monitoring [Accessed 11 May 2018].