Software Engineering Code of Ethics Principle 2: CLIENT AND EMPLOYER

PRINCIPLES Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their
client and
Principle 1: PUBLIC employer, consistent with the public interest. In particular, software engineers
Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest. In particular, shall, as
software engineers shall, as appropriate: appropriate:
1.01. Accept full responsibility for their own work. 2.01. Provide service in their areas of competence, being honest and
1.02. Moderate the interests of the software engineer, the employer, the forthright about any limitations of their experience and education.
client and the users with the public good. 2.02. Not knowingly use software that is obtained or retained either illegally or
1.03. Approve software only if they have a well-founded belief that it is safe, unethically.
meets specifications, passes appropriate tests, and does not diminish quality 2.03. Use the property of a client or employer only in ways properly
of life, diminish privacy or harm the environment. The ultimate effect of the authorized, and with the client's or employer's knowledge and consent.
work should be to the public good. 2.04. Ensure that any document upon which they rely has been approved,
1.04. Disclose to appropriate persons or authorities any actual or potential when required, by someone authorized to approve it.
danger to the user, the public, or the environment, that they reasonably 2.05. Keep private any confidential information gained in their professional
believe to be associated with software or related documents. work, where such confidentiality is consistent with the public interest and
1.05. Cooperate in efforts to address matters of grave public concern caused consistent with the law.
by software, its installation, maintenance, support or documentation. 2.06. Identify, document, collect evidence and report to the client or the
1.06. Be fair and avoid deception in all statements, particularly public ones, employer promptly if, in their opinion, a project is likely to fail, to prove too
concerning software or related documents, methods and tools. expensive, to violate intellectual property law, or otherwise to be
1.07. Consider issues of physical disabilities, allocation of resources, economic problematic.
disadvantage and other factors that can diminish access to the benefits of 2.07. Identify, document, and report significant issues of social concern, of
software. which they are aware, in software or related documents, to the employer or
1.08. Be encouraged to volunteer professional skills to good causes and the client.
contribute to public education concerning the discipline. 2.08. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their
primary employer.
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.
Principle 3: PRODUCT 3.10. Ensure adequate testing, debugging, and review of software and
Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications related documents on which they work.
meet the highest professional standards possible. In particular, software 3.11. Ensure adequate documentation, including significant problems
engineers shall, as appropriate: discovered and solutions adopted, for any project on which they work.
3.01. Strive for high quality, acceptable cost and a reasonable schedule, 3.12. Work to develop software and related documents that respect the
ensuring significant tradeoffs are clear to and accepted by the employer privacy of those who will be affected by that software.
and the client, and are available for consideration by the user and the 3.13. Be careful to use only accurate data derived by ethical and lawful
public. means, and use it only in ways properly authorized.
3.02. Ensure proper and achievable goals and objectives for any project on 3.14. Maintain the integrity of data, being sensitive to outdated or flawed
which they work or propose. occurrences.
3.03. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and 3.15 Treat all forms of software maintenance with the same professionalism as
environmental issues related to work projects. new Development.
3.04. Ensure that they are qualified for any project on which they work or
propose to work by an appropriate combination of education and training, Principle 4: JUDGMENT
and experience. Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their
3.05. Ensure an appropriate method is used for any project on which they professional judgment. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:
work or propose to work. 4.01. Temper all technical judgments by the need to support and maintain
3.06. Work to follow professional standards, when available, that are most human values.
appropriate 4.02 Only endorse documents either prepared under their supervision or
for the task at hand, departing from these only when ethically or technically within their areas of competence and with which they are in agreement.
justified. 4.03. Maintain professional objectivity with respect to any software or related
3.07. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they documents they are asked to evaluate.
work. 4.04. Not engage in deceptive financial practices such as bribery, double
3.08. Ensure that specifications for software on which they work have been billing, or other improper financial practices.
well documented, satisfy the users’ requirements and have the appropriate 4.05. Disclose to all concerned parties those conflicts of interest that cannot
approvals. reasonably
3.09. Ensure realistic quantitative estimates of cost, scheduling, personnel, be avoided or escaped.
quality and outcomes on any project on which they work or propose to work 4.06. Refuse to participate, as members or advisors, in a private,
and provide an uncertainty assessment of these estimates. governmental or
professional body concerned with software related issues, in which they, their 5.09. Ensure that there is a fair agreement concerning ownership of any
employers software, processes, research, writing, or other intellectual property to which
or their clients have undisclosed potential conflicts of interest. a software engineer has contributed.
5.10. Provide for due process in hearing charges of violation of an employer's
Principle 5: MANAGEMENT policy or of this Code.
Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote 5.11. Not ask a software engineer to do anything inconsistent with this Code.
an ethical 5.12. Not punish anyone for expressing ethical concerns about a project.
approach to the management of software development and maintenance .
In particular, Principle 6: PROFESSION
those managing or leading software engineers shall, as appropriate: Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the
5.01 Ensure good management for any project on which they work, including profession consistent with the
effective procedures for promotion of quality and reduction of risk. public interest. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:
5.02. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being 6.01. Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting
held to them. ethically.
5.03. Ensure that software engineers know the employer's policies and 6.02. Promote public knowledge of software engineering.
procedures for protecting passwords, files and information that is confidential 6.03. Extend software engineering knowledge by appropriate participation in
to the employer or confidential to others. professional organizations, meetings and publications.
5.04. Assign work only after taking into account appropriate contributions of 6.04. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to
education and experience tempered with a desire to further that education follow this Code.
and experience. 6.05. Not promote their own interest at the expense of the profession, client or
5.05. Ensure realistic quantitative estimates of cost, scheduling, personnel, employer.
quality and outcomes on any project on which they work or propose to work, 6.06. Obey all laws governing their work, unless, in exceptional circumstances,
and provide an uncertainty assessment of these estimates. such
5.06. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate compliance is inconsistent with the public interest.
description of the conditions of employment. 6.07. Be accurate in stating the characteristics of software on which they
5.07. Offer fair and just remuneration. work, avoiding not only false claims but also claims that might reasonably be
5.08. Not unjustly prevent someone from taking a position for which that supposed to be speculative, vacuous, deceptive, misleading, or doubtful.
person is suitably qualified. 6.08. Take responsibility for detecting, correcting, and reporting errors in
software and associated documents on which they work.
6.09. Ensure that clients, employers, and supervisors know of the software 7.08. In situations outside of their own areas of competence, call upon the
engineer's commitment to this Code of ethics, and the subsequent opinions of other professionals who have competence in that area.
ramifications of such commitment.
6.10. Avoid associations with businesses and organizations which are in Principle 8: SELF
conflict with this code. Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the
6.11. Recognize that violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the
professional software engineer. practice of the profession. In particular, software engineers shall continually
6.12. Express concerns to the people involved when significant violations of endeavor to:
this Code are detected unless this is impossible, counter-productive, or 8.01. Further their knowledge of developments in the analysis, specification,
dangerous. design, development, maintenance and testing of software and related
6.13. Report significant violations of this Code to appropriate authorities when documents, together with the management of the development process.
it is clear that consultation with people involved in these significant violations 8.02. Improve their ability to create safe, reliable, and useful quality software
is impossible, counterproductive or dangerous. at reasonable cost and within a reasonable time.
8.03. Improve their ability to produce accurate, informative, and well-written
Principle 7: COLLEAGUES documentation.
Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues. In 8.04. Improve their understanding of the software and related documents on
particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate: which they work and of the environment in which they will be used.
7.01. Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code. 8.05. Improve their knowledge of relevant standards and the law governing
7.02. Assist colleagues in professional development. the software and related documents on which they work.
7.03. Credit fully the work of others and refrain from taking undue credit. 8.06 Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its
7.04. Review the work of others in an objective, candid, and application to their work.
properly-documented way. 8.07 Do not give unfair treatment to anyone because of any irrelevant
7.05. Give a fair hearing to the opinions, concerns, or complaints of a prejudices.
colleague. 8.08. Not influence others to undertake any action that involves a breach of
7.06. Assist colleagues in being fully aware of current standard work practices this Code.
including policies and procedures for protecting passwords, files and other 8.09. Recognize that personal violations of this Code are inconsistent with
confidential information, and security measures in general. being a professional software engineer.
7.07. 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.