1. 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.
2. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
3. The dynamic and demanding context of software engineering requires a code that is adaptable and relevant to new situations as they occur.
4. Treat all forms of software maintenance with the same professionalism as new development.
5. Be accurate in stating the characteristics of software on which they work, avoiding not only false claims but also claims that might reasonably be supposed to be speculative, vacuous, deceptive, misleading, or doubtful.
6. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
7. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
8. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Strive for high quality, acceptable cost and a reasonable schedule, ensuring significant tradeoffs are clear to and accepted by the employer and the client, and are available for consideration by the user and the public.
9. Recognize that personal violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
10. Refuse to participate, as members or advisors, in a private, governmental or professional body concerned with software related issues, in which they, their employers or their clients have undisclosed potential conflicts of interest.
1. Work to develop software and related documents that respect the privacy of those who will be affected by that software.
2. Keep private any confidential information gained in their professional work, where such confidentiality is consistent with the public interest and consistent with the law.
3. Ensure proper and achievable goals and objectives for any project on which they work or propose.
4. Obey all laws governing their work, unless, in exceptional circumstances, such compliance is inconsistent with the public interest.
5. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
6. Review the work of others in an objective, candid, and properly-documented way.
7. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Accept full responsibility for their own work.
8. Assist colleagues in being fully aware of current standard work practices including policies and procedures for protecting passwords, files and other confidential information, and security measures in general.
9. In particular, those managing or leading software engineers shall, as appropriate:Ensure good management for any project on which they work, including effective procedures for promotion of quality and reduction of risk.
10. 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.
1. Software engineers are those who contribute by direct participation or by teaching, to the analysis, specification, design, development, certification, maintenance and testing of software systems.
2. Principle 7: COLLEAGUESSoftware engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
3. Ensure that software engineers know the employer's policies and procedures for protecting passwords, files and information that is confidential to the employer or confidential to others.
4. s humanity, in special care owed to people affected by the work of software engineers, and the unique elements of the practice of software engineering.
5. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Strive for high quality, acceptable cost and a reasonable schedule, ensuring significant tradeoffs are clear to and accepted by the employer and the client, and are available for consideration by the user and the public.
6. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate description of the conditions of employment.
7. 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.
8. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
9. Principle 6: PROFESSIONSoftware engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.
10. 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.
1. It is not intended that the individual parts of the Code be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission.
2. Provide for due process in hearing charges of violation of an employer's policy or of this Code.
3. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
4. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
5. Express concerns to the people involved when significant violations of this Code are detected unless this is impossible, counter-productive, or dangerous.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
9. 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.
10. Not ask a software engineer to do anything inconsistent with 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. 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.
3. Work to follow professional standards, when available, that are most appropriate for the task at hand, departing from these only when ethically or technically justified.
4. 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.
5. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
6. Ethical tensions can best be addressed by thoughtful consideration of fundamental principles, rather than blind reliance on detailed regulations.
7. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
8. The Principles identify the ethically responsible relationships in which individuals, groups, and organizations participate and the primary obligations within these relationships.
9. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
10. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.