1. Identify, document, and report significant issues of social concern, of which they are aware, in software or related documents, to the employer or the client.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate description of the conditions of employment.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Improve their ability to create safe, reliable, and useful quality software at reasonable cost and within a reasonable time.
9. The dynamic and demanding context of software engineering requires a code that is adaptable and relevant to new situations as they occur.
10. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
1. Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its application to their work.
2. 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.
3. Obey all laws governing their work, unless, in exceptional circumstances, such compliance is inconsistent with the public interest.
4. Assist colleagues in being fully aware of current standard work practices including policies and procedures for protecting passwords, files and other confidential information, and security measures in general.
5. Work to develop software and related documents that respect the privacy of those who will be affected by that software.
6. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
7. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
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. Improve their knowledge of relevant standards and the law governing the software and related documents on which they work.
10. 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.
1. 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.
2. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
3. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
4. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Accept full responsibility for their own work.
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. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
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. 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. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
2. Avoid associations with businesses and organizations which are in conflict with this code.
3. 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.
4. Recognize that personal violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
5. The dynamic and demanding context of software engineering requires a code that is adaptable and relevant to new situations as they occur.
6. Not influence others to undertake any action that involves a breach of this Code.
7. 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.
8. The Code is not simply for adjudicating the nature of questionable acts; it also has an important educational function.
9. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
10. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
1. 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.
2. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
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. 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.
5. The Principles identify the ethically responsible relationships in which individuals, groups, and organizations participate and the primary obligations within these relationships.
6. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
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. 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.
10. 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.