Question:
Read carefully each of the six scenarios given in Exercise 6 of Chapter 10. Review each of the five mini-case scenarios below involving ethical dilemmas associated with project management. Describe how you would respond to each situation and why.
1. Jack Nietzche
You returned from a project staffing meeting in which future project assignments were finalized. Despite your best efforts, you were unable to persuade the director of project management to promote one of your best assistants, Jack Nietzche, to a project manager position. You feel a bit guilty because you dangled the prospect of this promotion to motivate Jack. Jack responded by putting in extra hours to ensure that his segments of the project were completed on time. You wonder how Jack will react to this disappointment. More importantly, you wonder how his reaction might affect your project. You have five days remaining to meet a critical deadline for a very important customer. While it won't be easy, you believed you would be able to complete the project on time. Now you're not so sure. Jack is halfway through completing the documentation phase, which is the last critical activity. Jack can be pretty emotional at times, and you are worried that he will blow up once he finds he didn't get the promotion. As you return to your office, you wonder what you should do. Should you tell Jack that he isn't going to be promoted? What should you say if he asks about whether the new assignments were made?
If Jack doesn't ask about the assignments you may be able to get by a few days without saying anything, but you must tell him the truth. You should also volunteer the information without his asking for it.
If Jack asks about the new assignments, he should be told that he did not get the promotion. The important thing to do here is be honest with him. You can not effectively lead a team if you are not honest with them. Jack will never trust his project manager again if he finds out you (the project manager) lied that the assignments were not made.
Tell Jack that you are on his side and you will continue to work for him to get promoted. If Jack knows that you are on his side, he will do his best work for you. Sometimes companies just don't listen to their employees; and if this is the case, Jack will eventually realize this and move to a different company. But he will always work his hardest for you because he realizes that you appreciate and value his efforts.
2. Seaburst Construction Project
You are the project manager for the Seaburst construction project. So far the project is progressing ahead of schedule and below budget. You attribute this in part to the good working relationship you have with the carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and machine operators who work for you r organization. More than once you have asked them to give 110 percent, and they have responded.
One Sunday afternoon you decide to drive by the site and show it to your son. As you point out various parts of the project to your son, you discover that several pieces of valuable equipment are missing from the storage shed. When you start work again on Monday you are about to discuss this matter with a supervisor when you realize that all the missing equipment is back in the shed. What should you do? Why?
Some people would say: don't ask don't tell. I think you should take accountability, but here's what I would do.
Your employees obviously do their jobs and are very dependable. Ask the team who has been using the equipment on the weekends. Ask that whoever is responsible come see you in private. Say that they are definitely not in trouble. The key here is to build up trust. When that employee comes forward (hopefully), find out why he or she has been taking the equipment. If the reason is valid (for example: financial needs, small home project, flooded home from hurricane, etc.) try to work something out with him or her and the company. At the least ask that the employee let you know when he/she is borrowing equipment, so that you know where it is if it's needed.
3. The Project Status Report Meeting
You are driving to a project status report meeting with your client. You encountered a significant technical problem on the project that has put your project behind schedule. This is not good news because completion time is the number one priority for the project. You are confident that your team can solve the problem if they are free to give their undivided attention to it and that with hard work you can get back on schedule. You also believe if you tell the client about the problem, she will demand a meeting with your team to discuss the implications of the problem. You can also expect her to send some of her personnel to oversee the solution to the problem. These interruptions will likely further delay the project. What should you tell your client about the current status of the project?
You should tell her exactly what is stated in the above dilema. She is the client; she has the right to know. If sending her people to oversee the solution delays the project; you warned her. If she demands a meeting, let her have a meeting. The status report meeting exists so that a project does not get out of hand.
4. Gold Star LAN Project
You work for a large consulting firm and were assigned to the Gold Star LAN project. Work on the project is nearly completed and your clients at Gold Star appear to be pleased with your performance. During the course of the project, changes in the original scope had to be made to accommodate specific needs of managers at Gold Star. The costs of these changes were documented as well as overhead and submitted to the change order bill for your signature. You are surprised to see the bill is 10% higher than what you submitted. You contact Jim Messina tin the accounting office and ask if a mistake has been made. He curtly replies that no mistake was made and that management adjusted the bill. He recommends that you sign the document.
I would do the following: I would go to management and ask them about the changes; maybe there is a cost that I don't know about. If I find out this is not the case, I will say that I can't sign the document because I have already given the old numbers to the client.
If for some reason I can't do this I would probably try to notify the client in some way.
5. Greendale Bio-Tech
You are responsible for installing the new Double E production line. Your team has collected estimates and used the WBS to generate a project schedule. You have confidence in the schedule and the work your team has done. You report to top management that you believe that the project will take 110 days and be completed by March 5. The news is greeted positively. In fact, the project sponsor confides that orders do not have to be shipped until April 1st. You leave the meeting wondering whether you should share this information with the project team or not.
I would handle this as a need to know basis. The extension could be handled as a contingency plan. I may consider extending some project tasks if some resources are overscheduled. The thing to say if questioned about this is that the orders don't have to be shipped until April 1st, but we want to have them ready for March 5.
How would you respond to each situation and why? Explain in 50-100 words for each situation (total 300-600 words). Note: You may want to read the relevant sections of the text chapter 10 before writing your answers.