Responsibilities to the Profession

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The PMP must adhere to a high set of principles, rules and policies. This includes the organizational rules and policies, the certification process, and the advancement of the profession. On the PMP exam, always choose the answer which best supports the PMP profession and the higher set of principles the PMP is expected to adhere to.

Complying with Rules and Policies

Honesty is expected in all areas regarding the PMP examination process, including Exam applications must be honest and reflect actual education and work experience.

• Test items, questions, answers and scenarios are not to be shared with other PMP candidates.

• PMP renewal information must reflect an honest assessment of education and experience.

• Continuing education information must be honest and accurate; continuing education reporting must reflect actual courses completed.

The PMP should report violations of the PMP code when clear and factual evidence exists of the code being violated. Based on the scenario, the reporting may be to PMI, to the performing organization’s management, or to the proper law enforcement authorities.

The PMP must disclose to clients and customers scenarios where the PMP may be perceived as having an unfair advantage, a conflict of interest, or where they may profit from conditions within the project. Any appearances of impropriety must be avoided and disclosed.

Applying Honesty to the Profession

The PMP candidate is expected, at all times, to provide honesty in experience documentation, advertisement of skills, and performance of services. The PMP must, of course, adhere to and abide all applicable laws governing the project work. In addition, the ethical standards within the trade or industry should also be adhered to.

On the Job 

Industry standards are recommendations for how the work and practice should be followed. Regulations are requirements for how the work and practice must be followed. A PMP must know the difference.

Advancing the Profession

The PMP must respect and recognize the intellectual work and property of others. The PMP can’t claim others’ work as his own. He must give credit where credit is due. Work, research, and development sources must be documented and acknowledged by the PMP relying on others’ work.

Another method of advancing the PMP profession is to distribute the PMP code of professional conduct to other PMP candidates.

Inside the Exam

The PMP code of professional conduct, while only one page in length, implies many messages to the project management professional (PMP). The responsibility of the PMP centers on honesty and ethics. The PMP may often find themselves in scenarios where they can personally profit through the information within a project. For example, a PMP may discover a project is finishing ahead of schedule—but by finishing early, the PMP’s contract will be closed and he’ll lose income. The PMP must decide to finish the project early, or slow the project completion to gain personal income from the project scenario.

On the PMP exam, without breaking this very code, the PMP candidate will face many questions on professional conduct. Always, even if you disagree in theory with the outcome of the scenario, choose the moral high ground. The questions you’ll face on the exam are extreme circumstances but they still test the knowledge of the PMP Code.

Part of the PMP code of professional conduct deals with customs and laws of foreign countries. The PMP must recognize these laws and customs and understand how to operate within them. The Sapir-Whorf Hypotheses believes an understanding of the local language, its implied meaning, and colloquialisms allows individuals to have a deeper understanding of the people, their values, and actions.

The PMP, when operating in countries other than their home country, should consider the practices and customs of the local country before reacting to conditions and scenarios. What may be considered a conflict of interest in one country, may be a common practice in another.

Culture shock is the initial disorientation a person first experiences when visiting a country other than his own. Ethnocentrism happens when individuals measure and compare a foreigner’s actions against their own local culture. The locals typically believe their own culture is superior to the foreigner’s culture.

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