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. Refuse to participate, as members or advisors, in a private, governmental or professional body concerned with software related issues, in which they, their employers or their clients have undisclosed potential conflicts of interest.
3. Extend software engineering knowledge by appropriate participation in professional organizations, meetings and publications.
4. Promote public knowledge of software engineering.
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. Principle 5: MANAGEMENTSoftware engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance .
7. 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.
8. Ensure adequate testing, debugging, and review of software and related documents on which they work.
9. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
10. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Accept full responsibility for their own work.
1. Assign work only after taking into account appropriate contributions of education and experience tempered with a desire to further that education and experience.
2. Ensure an appropriate method is used for any project on which they work or propose to work.
3. 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.
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. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
7. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
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. 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. Work to develop software and related documents that respect the privacy of those who will be affected by that software.
1. 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.
2. Principle 7: COLLEAGUESSoftware engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
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. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate description of the conditions of employment.
6. 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.
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. 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. 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.
10. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
1. Express concerns to the people involved when significant violations of this Code are detected unless this is impossible, counter-productive, or dangerous.
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. 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. Recognize that violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
5. Not influence others to undertake any action that involves a breach of this Code.
6. Avoid associations with businesses and organizations which are in conflict with this code.
7. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
8. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
9. The Code is not simply for adjudicating the nature of questionable acts; it also has an important educational function.
10. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
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. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Not punish anyone for expressing ethical concerns about a project.
7. 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.
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. 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. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.