What are Ethics?” introduces the foundations of ethical behavior for project professionals and organizational leaders. It begins by clearly distinguishing between law, ethics, morals, and personal beliefs. The presentation emphasizes that ethical conduct often requires going beyond legal minimums and balancing personal values with professional duties and organizational expectations.
Building on this context, the presentation links these ideas to the Project Management Institute’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. It introduces PMI’s four core values—responsibility, respect, fairness, and honesty—and shows how they translate into practical behaviors such as accurate status reporting, transparent risk communication, avoiding conflicts of interest, respecting cultural differences, and protecting confidential information. Participants are directed to PMI’s official resources on ethics, including the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and related guidance materials available on pmi.org, as well as the PMI Ethics pages and associated case studies and tools. The presentation concludes by reinforcing that ethical practice is an essential competency for project professionals, not only to comply with standards but to build trust, safeguard stakeholders, and deliver sustainable value.