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. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Temper all technical judgments by the need to support and maintain human values.
3. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
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. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate description of the conditions of employment.
6. 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.
7. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
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. Improve their knowledge of relevant standards and the law governing the software and related documents on which they work.
10. 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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Ensure adequate testing, debugging, and review of software and related documents on which they work.
4. Ensure adequate documentation, including significant problems discovered and solutions adopted, for any project on which they work.
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. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
7. Take responsibility for detecting, correcting, and reporting errors in software and associated documents on which they work.
8. Ensure an appropriate method is used for any project on which they work or propose to work.
9. Ensure an appropriate method is used for any project on which they work or propose to work.
10. Work to develop software and related documents that respect the privacy of those who will be affected by that software.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Principle 4: JUDGMENTSoftware engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.
4. 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.
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. 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.
7. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
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. 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.
3. Avoid associations with businesses and organizations which are in conflict with this code.
4. Recognize that violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
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. 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. It is not intended that the individual parts of the Code be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission.
9. Not influence others to undertake any action that involves a breach of this Code.
10. 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.
1. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
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. 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. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
5. 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.
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. Be careful to use only accurate data derived by ethical and lawful means, and use it only in ways properly authorized.
8. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
9. 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.
10. Ethical tensions can best be addressed by thoughtful consideration of fundamental principles, rather than blind reliance on detailed regulations.