1. 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.
2. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
3. 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.
4. Consider issues of physical disabilities, allocation of resources, economic disadvantage and other factors that can diminish access to the benefits of software.
5. Cooperate in efforts to address matters of grave public concern caused by software, its installation, maintenance, support or documentation.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
9. Moderate the interests of the software engineer, the employer, the client and the users with the public good.
10. Improve their ability to create safe, reliable, and useful quality software at reasonable cost and within a reasonable time.
1. Improve their knowledge of relevant standards and the law governing the software and related documents on which they work.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
5. 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.
6. Obey all laws governing their work, unless, in exceptional circumstances, such compliance is inconsistent with the public interest.
7. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
1. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
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. 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.
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. Principle 4: JUDGMENTSoftware engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.
6. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
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. 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.
9. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate description of the conditions of employment.
10. Principle 7: COLLEAGUESSoftware engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
1. 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.
2. The dynamic and demanding context of software engineering requires a code that is adaptable and relevant to new situations as they occur.
3. Provide for due process in hearing charges of violation of an employer's policy or of this Code.
4. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
5. Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its application to their work.
6. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
7. 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.
8. Express concerns to the people involved when significant violations of this Code are detected unless this is impossible, counter-productive, or dangerous.
9. Avoid associations with businesses and organizations which are in conflict with this code.
10. 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.
1. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
2. 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.
3. Principle 5: MANAGEMENTSoftware engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance .
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. 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. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
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. 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.
10. 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.