Datasheet

Chapter 1

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Establishing Project Management Fundamentals

Professional Responsibility

Certified project managers are required to adhere to a code of professional conduct. Certified

or not, it’s still a great idea. As in most professions, honesty and integrity should be your num-

ber one priority. Honesty builds credibility with your team members and stakeholders. When

you hit those bumps in the project road, stakeholders may not like the news you have to deliver

but they’ll know you’re telling the truth if you’ve practiced honesty and integrity all along.

Project managers are often in positions in which they have a lot of interaction and contact

with vendors, stakeholders, and outside boards or commissions. These people may have influ-

ence over your career or have the ability to reward you in other ways. Your personal gain,

whether a promotion or a golf trip to Arizona, should never be taken into account when mak-

ing project decisions. Don’t allow vendors or stakeholders to pressure you into making deci-

sions that sound right for you personally but might be a disaster for the project.

You’ll also want to avoid conflict-of-interest situations. A conflict of interest is where it

appears that your own interests are benefiting as a result of project decisions. For example,

suppose you are part owner with your brother-in-law in a real estate firm. One of the require-

ments of your project is to locate and lease a building. You should not choose this real estate

company as the firm to find the building needed for the project because there’s not only a con-

flict of interest but a potential for personal gain as well.

When in doubt, avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

Project managers should strive to maintain a level of professionalism that depicts honesty and

integrity. Continuing education in your industry and project management techniques should

also always be high on your personal to-do list. Respect your company’s data and property, lead

by example, and always report truthfully and honestly.

Chapter 2 includes an overview of Excel and other Office 2007 products. We’ll incorporate

their features into the following chapters and walk you through constructing processes and

templates using these products.

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