1. 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.
2. Not unfairly intervene in the career of any colleague; however, concern for the employer, the client or public interest may compel software engineers, in good faith, to question the competence of a colleague.
3. Promote public knowledge of software engineering.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Ensure that there is a fair agreement concerning ownership of any software, processes, research, writing, or other intellectual property to which a software engineer has contributed.
7. These obligations are founded in the software engineer’
8. Extend software engineering knowledge by appropriate participation in professional organizations, meetings and publications.
9. 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.
10. Maintain professional objectivity with respect to any software or related documents they are asked to evaluate.
1. 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.
2. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
3. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
4. Take responsibility for detecting, correcting, and reporting errors in software and associated documents on which they work.
5. Improve their knowledge of relevant standards and the law governing the software and related documents on which they work.
6. Keep private any confidential information gained in their professional work, where such confidentiality is consistent with the public interest and consistent with the law.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Credit fully the work of others and refrain from taking undue credit.
10. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
1. 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.
2. Principle 4: JUDGMENTSoftware engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.
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. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
8. 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.
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. Principle 7: COLLEAGUESSoftware engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
1. It is not intended that the individual parts of the Code be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission.
2. 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.
3. Express concerns to the people involved when significant violations of this Code are detected unless this is impossible, counter-productive, or dangerous.
4. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
5. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
6. Provide for due process in hearing charges of violation of an employer's policy or of this Code.
7. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
8. 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.
9. Recognize that violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
10. The dynamic and demanding context of software engineering requires a code that is adaptable and relevant to new situations as they occur.
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. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
4. Be careful to use only accurate data derived by ethical and lawful means, and use it only in ways properly authorized.
5. 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.
6. Principle 5: MANAGEMENTSoftware engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance .
7. Ethical tensions can best be addressed by thoughtful consideration of fundamental principles, rather than blind reliance on detailed regulations.
8. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
9. 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.
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.