1. Recognize that violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
2. 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.
3. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
4. Be fair and avoid deception in all statements, particularly public ones, concerning software or related documents, methods and tools.
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. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
7. Consider issues of physical disabilities, allocation of resources, economic disadvantage and other factors that can diminish access to the benefits of software.
8. Disclose to appropriate persons or authorities any actual or potential danger to the user, the public, or the environment, that they reasonably believe to be associated with software or related documents.
9. Maintain professional objectivity with respect to any software or related documents they are asked to evaluate.
10. 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.
1. Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its application to their work.
2. Work to develop software and related documents that respect the privacy of those who will be affected by that software.
3. Improve their understanding of the software and related documents on which they work and of the environment in which they will be used.
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. 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. Ensure an appropriate method is used for any project on which they work or propose to work.
7. Obey all laws governing their work, unless, in exceptional circumstances, such compliance is inconsistent with the public interest.
8. 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.
9. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
10. 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.
1. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
2. 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.
3. In particular, software engineers shall continually endeavor to:Further their knowledge of developments in the analysis, specification, design, development, maintenance and testing of software and related documents, together with the management of the development process.
4. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Principle 7: COLLEAGUESSoftware engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
10. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
1. It is not intended that the individual parts of the Code be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission.
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. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
4. Avoid associations with businesses and organizations which are in conflict with this code.
5. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
6. 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.
7. The Code prescribes these as obligations of anyone claiming to be or aspiring to be a software engineer.
8. Provide for due process in hearing charges of violation of an employer's policy or of this Code.
9. 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.
10. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
1. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
2. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
3. 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.
4. Not punish anyone for expressing ethical concerns about a project.
5. 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.
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 5: MANAGEMENTSoftware engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance .
8. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
9. 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.
10. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.