1. 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.
2. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
3. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
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. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Strive for high quality, acceptable cost and a reasonable schedule, ensuring significant tradeoffs are clear to and accepted by the employer and the client, and are available for consideration by the user and the public.
6. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate description of the conditions of employment.
7. 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.
8. Recognize that violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
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. Treat all forms of software maintenance with the same professionalism as new development.
1. Improve their understanding of the software and related documents on which they work and of the environment in which they will be used.
2. Keep private any confidential information gained in their professional work, where such confidentiality is consistent with the public interest and consistent with the law.
3. 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.
4. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
5. Ensure proper and achievable goals and objectives for any project on which they work or propose.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
9. Assign work only after taking into account appropriate contributions of education and experience tempered with a desire to further that education and experience.
10. Improve their knowledge of relevant standards and the law governing the software and related documents on which they work.
1. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate description of the conditions of employment.
2. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Accept full responsibility for their own work.
3. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
4. 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.
5. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
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. 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.
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. 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.
10. Principle 6: PROFESSIONSoftware engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.
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. The Code prescribes these as obligations of anyone claiming to be or aspiring to be 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. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
6. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
7. Not ask a software engineer to do anything inconsistent with this Code.
8. Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its application to their work.
9. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
10. The Code is not simply for adjudicating the nature of questionable acts; it also has an important educational function.
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. The Principles identify the ethically responsible relationships in which individuals, groups, and organizations participate and the primary obligations within these relationships.
3. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
4. 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.
5. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
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. 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.
8. 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.
9. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
10. 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.