Software Code of Ethics Lecture

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 The need
 Professional and ethical responsibility
 Issues of professional responsibility
 Code of ethics

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 Software engineering involves wider responsibility than
simple the application of technical skills.
 Honest and responsibility is a must be respected as
professionals.
 Ethical behavior is more than upholding the law.

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 Some issues of professional responsibility:
 Confidentiality
 Competence
 Intellectual property rights
 Computer misuse

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 Engineers should normally respect the confidentiality of
there employers or clients irrespective of whether or
not a formal confidentiality agreement has been signed

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 Engineers should not misrepresent their level of
competence.
 They should not knowingly accept work which is beyond
their competence.

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 Engineers should be aware of local laws governing the
use of intellectual property such as patents, copyright,
etc. They should be careful to ensure that the
intellectual property of employers and clients is
protected.

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 Software engineers should not use their technical skills
to misuse other people’s computers.
 Computer misuse ranges from relatively trivial (game
playing on an employer’s machine, say) to extremely
serious (dissemination of viruses).

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 Software engineers shall commit themselves to making the
analysis, specification, design, development, testing and
maintenance of software a beneficial and respected
profession. In accordance with their commitment to the
health, safety and welfare of the public, software
engineers shall adhere to the following Eight Principles:
 Public
 Product
 Judgment
 Client and Employer
 Management
 Profession
 Colleagues
 Self

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 Software engineers shall act consistently with the public
interest.
1. Accept responsibility for your own work
2. Moderate interests of all stakeholders with public good
3. Approve software only if you have well-founded belief in
its safety; disclose any actual or potential danger
4. Cooperate in efforts to address matters of grave public
concern
5. Be fair and avoid deception in all statements
6. Consider issues of physical disabilities, allocation of
resources, economic disadvantage
7. Be encouraged to volunteer professional skills to good
causes

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 1.04 Disclose to appropriate persons or authorities any
actual or potential danger to the user, the public, or the
environment, that they reasonably believe to be
associated with software or related documents.

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 Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the
best interests of their client and employer, consistent
with the public interest.
1. Provides service in area of competence; be honest and
forthright about experience and education
2. Not knowingly use illegally- or unethically-obtained
software
3. Use property only as properly authorized and with
owner’s knowledge and consent
4. Identify, document, collect evidence, and report to the
client if a project is problematic
5. Accept no outside work that is detrimental to your
primary employer
6. Promote no interest detrimental to your employer or
client, unless higher ethical concern exists

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 2.09. 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.

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 Software engineers shall ensure that their products and
related modifications meet the highest professional
standards possible.
1. Strive for high quality, acceptable cost, and reasonable
schedule
2. Identify, define, and address ethical, economic, cultural,
legal, and environmental issues related to the project
3. Ensure you use appropriate methods on projects
4. Follow professional standards whenever possible
5. Strive to fully understand specifications for software
6. Ensure specifications are well-documented and approved
7. Ensure adequate testing, debugging, and review of
software
8. Ensure adequate documentation
9. Treat software maintenance as professionally as new
development

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 3.07. Strive to fully understand the specifications for
software on which they work.

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 Software engineers shall maintain integrity and
independence in their professional judgment
1. Temper all technical judgments by need to support and
maintain human values
2. Only endorse documents you prepared or are under
your control
3. Maintain professional objectivity
4. Do not engage in deceptive financial practices
5. Disclose conflicts of interest to all concerned parties
6. Refuse to participate in bodies in which you have
potential conflicts of interest

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 4.01. Temper all technical judgments by the need to
support and maintain human values.

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 Software engineering managers and leaders shall
subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the
management of software development and maintenance
1. Ensure good management practices; inform other
software engineers of standards and security procedures
2. Assign work by education and experience levels
3. Ensure realistic quantitative estimates of cost,
scheduling, personnel and outcomes
4. Describe position accurately and fully when hiring; offer
fair and just remuneration
5. Don’t ask software engineers to violate this Code
6. Don’t punish for expressing ethical concerns about
project

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 5.01 Ensure good
management for any
project on which they
work, including effective
procedures for promotion
of quality and reduction
of risk

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 Software engineers shall advance the integrity and
reputation of the profession consistent with the public
interest
1. Help develop favorable organizational environment
2. Participate in professional organizations, meetings, and
publications; avoid associations that lead to conflict of
interest
3. Support other SW engineers striving to follow this Code
4. Do not promote your own interests at the expense of
profession, client, or employer
5. Obey all laws governing work
6. Be accurate describing the characteristics of software
7. Violations of the Code are inconsistent with being a
professional software engineer
8. Report violations of the Code to appropriate authorities

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 6.07 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.

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 Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of
their colleagues
1. Encourage colleagues to follow Code
2. Assist them in professional development
3. Fully credit the work of others
4. Review others’ work objectively, candidly
5. Do not unfairly intervene in their career
6. Get opinions of experts in other areas
7. Assist others’ awareness of current standards

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 7.02. Assist colleagues in professional development.

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 Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning
regarding the practice of their profession
1. Further your SW development knowledge
2. Improve your SW development skills
3. Improve your documentation skills
4. Improve your knowledge of standards
5. Improve knowledge of this Code
6. Treat others fairly, not biased

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 8.01. 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.

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 http://cecs.wright.edu/~pmateti/Courses/460/Slides/Ethics-PM.pdf

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