Monday, January 6, 2020

Necessary and proper



James Madison, one of the intellectuals of the American revolutionary period, writing in Federalist* 44 in the pre-constitutional period of the late 1780's, said this:
".. wherever the end is required, the means are authorized"
Whoa! Not so fast!

What about " ... means are authorized" so long as they are:
  • Morally and ethically constructed
  • Conform to legal and regulatory constraints
Actually, Madison was defending the "necessary and proper" clause* of the American constitution which recognizes that, in Madison's thinking:
If a government has the authority to perform a particular function, it must necessarily have the power to do what is necessary and proper to perform that function.

Fair enough, so long as we can agree on "necessary and proper"

WHAT ABOUT IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
Same thing applies in my mind. The PMO has a fiduciary responsibility to client and business to act in their best interests -- which, by the way, may be in conflict.

But, that "end" does not justify any means.

The PMO has a responsibility to stand up for better regulation and more sensible and practical rules so that best interests are served with ends that are moral, ethical, and legal.


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Article 1, section 8




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