1. 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.
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. Principle 5: MANAGEMENTSoftware engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance .
4. Ensure adequate testing, debugging, and review of software and related documents on which they work.
5. Work to develop software and related documents that respect the privacy of those who will be affected by that software.
6. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Temper all technical judgments by the need to support and maintain human values.
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. 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.
9. The Code prescribes these as obligations of anyone claiming to be or aspiring to be a software engineer.
10. 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.
1. Ensure an appropriate method is used for any project on which they work or propose to work.
2. Improve their understanding of the software and related documents on which they work and of the environment in which they will be used.
3. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Accept full responsibility for their own work.
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. Ensure proper and achievable goals and objectives for any project on which they work or propose.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
9. Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its application to their 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. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
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. 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. 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. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
8. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
9. 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.
10. Principle 7: COLLEAGUESSoftware engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
1. 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.
2. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
3. It is not intended that the individual parts of the Code be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission.
4. Provide for due process in hearing charges of violation of an employer's policy or of this Code.
5. 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.
6. Avoid associations with businesses and organizations which are in conflict with 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. Recognize that violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
9. Not ask a software engineer to do anything inconsistent with this Code.
10. Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its application to their work.
1. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
2. Ethical tensions can best be addressed by thoughtful consideration of fundamental principles, rather than blind reliance on detailed regulations.
3. Be careful to use only accurate data derived by ethical and lawful means, and use it only in ways properly authorized.
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. 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.
6. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
7. 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.
8. Principle 5: MANAGEMENTSoftware engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance .
9. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
10. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.