Governance and professional ethics
Governance
Governance is the system by which the project is directed, controlled and held accountable. It sets decision rights, stage gates, reporting lines, assurance and escalation. Governance is not the same as management: managers execute within the framework, while governors set the framework and hold to account. Typical bodies include the sponsor (accountable for benefits), steering committee (cross-functional decisions, funding, priorities), PMO (standards, assurance) and independent audit. A RACI matrix clarifies who is responsible, accountable, consulted and informed; only one person should be accountable per activity. Stage gates check continued viability against the business case, not just schedule progress.
Ethics
Professional ethics require integrity, objectivity, confidentiality, competence and fair dealing. Declare conflicts of interest - financial, personal, former employment or family - in writing and recuse yourself where objectivity is compromised. Do not accept gifts or hospitality that could influence decisions; follow the organisation's threshold. Protect commercial and personal data; share only on a need-to-know basis. Report suspected bribery, fraud or safety concealment through whistleblowing channels; retaliation is itself misconduct. Keep promises and records accurate; never misstate progress, cost or earned value. Ethical dilemmas often involve competing legitimate interests, so document the facts, options, advice received and decision.
Worked example
A PM evaluating IT tenders discovers her brother-in-law is a junior developer at one bidder. She does not have authority over hiring. Still, she declares the relationship to the procurement lead and ethics officer before evaluation, and is removed from scoring that bidder. Reason: the test is perceived independence as well as actual bias; a reasonable outsider could question the result.
Traps
- Equating ethics with legality - many unethical acts are legal.
- Treating a disclosed conflict as resolved without recusal or mitigation.
- Using confidentiality to hide safety or fraud issues; protected disclosures override ordinary confidentiality.
- Letting the sponsor bypass stage gates because they own the budget.
- Recording optimistic percent complete to protect a bonus.