1. Treat all forms of software maintenance with the same professionalism as new development.
2. 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.
3. Promote public knowledge of software engineering.
4. Ensure adequate testing, debugging, and review of software and related documents on which they work.
5. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
6. 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.
7. Take responsibility for detecting, correcting, and reporting errors in software and associated documents on which they work.
8. The Code prescribes these as obligations of anyone claiming to be or aspiring to be a software engineer.
9. Moderate the interests of the software engineer, the employer, the client and the users with the public good.
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.
1. 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.
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. Ensure adequate documentation, including significant problems discovered and solutions adopted, for any project on which they work.
4. 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.
5. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
6. Assign work only after taking into account appropriate contributions of education and experience tempered with a desire to further that education and experience.
7. Keep private any confidential information gained in their professional work, where such confidentiality is consistent with the public interest and consistent with the law.
8. Ensure that they are qualified for any project on which they work or propose to work by an appropriate combination of education and training, and experience.
9. Ensure an appropriate method is used for any project on which they work or propose to work.
10. Ensure an appropriate method is used for any project on which they work or propose to work.
1. 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.
2. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
3. 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.
4. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
5. 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.
6. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
7. Principle 2: CLIENT AND EMPLOYERSoftware engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client and employer, consistent with the public interest.
8. 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.
9. Principle 3: PRODUCTSoftware engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.
10. 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.
1. It is not intended that the individual parts of the Code be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission.
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. Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its application to their work.
4. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
5. The dynamic and demanding context of software engineering requires a code that is adaptable and relevant to new situations as they occur.
6. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Provide for due process in hearing charges of violation of an employer's policy or of this Code.
10. 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.
1. Be careful to use only accurate data derived by ethical and lawful means, and use it only in ways properly authorized.
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. Ethical tensions can best be addressed by thoughtful consideration of fundamental principles, rather than blind reliance on detailed regulations.
4. The Principles identify the ethically responsible relationships in which individuals, groups, and organizations participate and the primary obligations within these relationships.
5. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
6. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
7. 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.
8. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
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.