1. To ensure, as much as possible, that their efforts will be used for good, software engineers must commit themselves to making software engineering a beneficial and respected profession.
2. Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (Full Version)PREAMBLEComputers have a central and growing role in commerce, industry, government, medicine, education, entertainment and society at large.
3. Approve software only if they have a well-founded belief that it is safe, meets specifications, passes appropriate tests, and does not diminish quality of life, diminish privacy or harm the environment.
4. Treat all forms of software maintenance with the same professionalism as new development.
5. These Principles should influence software engineers to consider broadly who is affected by their work; to examine if they and their colleagues are treating other human beings with due respect; to consider how the public, if reasonably well informed, would view their decisions; to analyze how the least empowered will be affected by their decisions; and to consider whether their acts would be judged worthy of the ideal professional working as a software engineer.
6. Moderate the interests of the software engineer, the employer, the client and the users with the public good.
7. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
8. Ensure that clients, employers, and supervisors know of the software engineer's commitment to this Code of ethics, and the subsequent ramifications of such commitment.
9. Improve their knowledge of relevant standards and the law governing the software and related documents on which they work.
10. Cooperate in efforts to address matters of grave public concern caused by software, its installation, maintenance, support or documentation.
1. These Principles should influence software engineers to consider broadly who is affected by their work; to examine if they and their colleagues are treating other human beings with due respect; to consider how the public, if reasonably well informed, would view their decisions; to analyze how the least empowered will be affected by their decisions; and to consider whether their acts would be judged worthy of the ideal professional working as a software engineer.
2. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
3. Credit fully the work of others and refrain from taking undue credit.
4. Ensure realistic quantitative estimates of cost, scheduling, personnel, quality and outcomes on any project on which they work or propose to work and provide an uncertainty assessment of these estimates.
5. Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its application to their work.
6. Improve their understanding of the software and related documents on which they work and of the environment in which they will be used.
7. Ensure adequate documentation, including significant problems discovered and solutions adopted, for any project on which they work.
8. Take responsibility for detecting, correcting, and reporting errors in software and associated documents on which they work.
9. Ensure realistic quantitative estimates of cost, scheduling, personnel, quality and outcomes on any project on which they work or propose to work and provide an uncertainty assessment of these estimates.
10. The ultimate effect of the work should be to the public good.
1. Because of their roles in developing software systems, software engineers have significant opportunities to do good or cause harm, to enable others to do good or cause harm, or to influence others to do good or cause harm.
2. Principle 8: SELFSoftware engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.
3. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
4. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
5. Principle 7: COLLEAGUESSoftware engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
6. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Accept full responsibility for their own work.
7. Principle 4: JUDGMENTSoftware engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.
8. Principle 6: PROFESSIONSoftware engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.
9. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Provide service in their areas of competence, being honest and forthright about any limitations of their experience and education.
10. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
1. It is not intended that the individual parts of the Code be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission.
2. Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its application to their work.
3. These situations require the software engineer to use ethical judgment to act in a manner which is most consistent with the spirit of the Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, given the circumstances.
4. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
5. The Code is not simply for adjudicating the nature of questionable acts; it also has an important educational function.
6. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
7. Report significant violations of this Code to appropriate authorities when it is clear that consultation with people involved in these significant violations is impossible, counter-productive or dangerous.
8. Ensure that clients, employers, and supervisors know of the software engineer's commitment to this Code of ethics, and the subsequent ramifications of such commitment.
9. The Code contains eight Principles related to the behavior of and decisions made by professional software engineers, including practitioners, educators, managers, supervisors and policy makers, as well as trainees and students of the profession.
10. In all these judgments concern for the health, safety and welfare of the public is primary; that is, the "Public Interest" is central to this Code.
1. Promote no interest adverse to their employer or client, unless a higher ethical concern is being compromised; in that case, inform the employer or another appropriate authority of the ethical concern.
2. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
3. Be careful to use only accurate data derived by ethical and lawful means, and use it only in ways properly authorized.
4. However, even in this generality, the Code provides support for software engineers and managers of software engineers who need to take positive action in a specific case by documenting the ethical stance of the profession.
5. As this Code expresses the consensus of the profession on ethical issues, it is a means to educate both the public and aspiring professionals about the ethical obligations of all software engineers.
6. As this Code expresses the consensus of the profession on ethical issues, it is a means to educate both the public and aspiring professionals about the ethical obligations of all software engineers.
7. Principle 8: SELFSoftware engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.
8. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
9. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
10. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.