Who developed the software engineering code of ethics and professional practice?

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The Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, intended as a standard for teaching and practicing software engineering, documents the ethical and professional obligations of software engineers. The code should instruct practitioners about the standards society expects them to meet, about what their peers strive for, and about what to expect of one another. In addition, the code should also inform the public about the responsibilities that are important to the profession. Adopted in 2000 by the IEEE Computer Society and the ACM - two leading international computing societies - the code of ethics is intended as a guide for members of the evolving software engineering profession. The code was developed by a multinational task force with additional input from other professionals from industry, government posts, military installations, and educational professions.

• Code of ethics
• Professional responsibility
• Software engineeringthe

• Health(social science)
• Issues, ethics and legal aspects
• Health Policy
• Management of Technology and Innovation

Code of ethics can be defined as “a specific set of professional behaviors and values the professional interpreter must know and must abide by, including confidentiality, accuracy, privacy, integrity” (diversityrx.org, n.d). Or “ethics were defined as the concept of what is right and fair conduct or behavior” (Carroll, 1979). Ethics can also be defined as "Principles of right and wrong that can be used by individuals acting as free moral agents to make choices to guide their behavior" (Laudon & Laudonide, 2003).

There are many definitions of code of ethics and there is no one general one. But it is evident that the all enlighten one crucial thing that It is a formal and systematic statement of rules, principles, regulations or laws, developed by a community of profession to promote its well-being and to exclude or punish any undermining behavior. Thus all software engineers have the code of ethics as abases over they base their design of systems and their day to day practices on. They are intended to provide guidelines on what should be done and what should not be done while practicing.

Purpose of Code of Ethics

Through the years, the application of professional values and standards has changed, thus the need for software engineering code of ethics. This codes falls under the wider computer professional ethics. As we will see, code of ethics for software engineers focus specifically on issues that relate to practices within the software engineering discipline.

The purpose of the code of ethics is to:

• Define the profession association's mandate;
• Outline its governing powers with respect to members and non-members alike; and
• Provide general statements regarding principles of ethical conduct to prepare professional engineers for the fulfillment of their duty to the public, the profession and fellow members.

who should follow this Code of Ethics.

The code of ethics are not only for professionals in a certain field, but also demands that managers, practitioners, educators, supervisors, policy makers as well as trainees and students related to this field act ethically, behave and make decisions in accordance with the code of ethics (Sommerville 2004)

Development of Code of Ethics

The development of code of ethics for software engineers began with the creation of a branch of ethics referred to as computer ethics in the early40’s; however, this only was dealing with software engineering as a profession [Bynum 2008]. It was then in the 90’s IEEE and ACM was jointly created to formulate on the code of ethics, that defines the current software engineering code of ethics to be followed.

The IEEE/ACM joint Code of Ethics 1999

The IEEE computer society and ACM joint force software engineering ethics and professional practices code of ethics for software engineer’s focuses on eight principles (IEEE/ACM 1999):

1. PUBLIC - Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.
2. CLIENT AND EMPLOYER - Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client and employer consistent with the public interest.
3. PRODUCT - Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.
4. JUDGMENT - Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.
5. MANAGEMENT - Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance.
6. PROFESSION - Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.
7. COLLEAGUES - Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
8. SELF - Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

This code of ethic were further discussed by Don Gotterbarn (1999, n.d)

Other Organisations Governing Software Code of Ethics.

Apart from the IEEE/ACM Code of Ethics, there are other professional organisations that have created ethical codes that are followed by their members. this include:

1. Institute of certification of computing professionals (ICCP). which was created in 1973 to promote certification and professionalism in the industry (ICCP.org). 

   The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC). which is a licensing and regulatory body (APEGBC.bc.ca). 

Failure to follow Code of Ethics

It is known that at some point during the development process of the software systems, the ethics principles governing software engineering are not adhered to by the engineers, this in turn leads unethical processes carried out such as; poor communication between the professionals, poor judgment, poor design, lack of or poor testing, money mindedness of the management, as well as lack of enough skill and knowledge on the task at hand. The lack of adherence and unethical practice of professional ethics is not only costly but also reduce the integrity of software engineers. Unethical practice may also be punishable.

How best to follow ethics

Witkin  and Goodenough (1977) concluded  that, "when  a  situation  is ambiguous, and  referents (peers, or  the  informal code  of behavior) clarify the ambiguity, field dependent individuals (sometimes called organizationally  dependent) use  the  referents to guide behavior and decisions". 

M.  A.  Pierce and J. W. Henry (1996) devised a model as seen below, that helps all members of a professional body to follow ethics depending on the situation. It entails that the individual take into consideration the situation, the professional codes set for a profession, laws and personal ethical knowledge before taking any action.

Conclusion

Software engineering involves a large number of professionals to come together and work together with upmost coordination. It is their fore necessary that all code of ethics in this field be followed by all members and stakeholder so as to be loyal to their duties and minimize conflict and errors. This will ensure that end products delivered by software engineers or software engineering bodies be meaningful and of best standards.  

References

1. Diversityx.org, n.d. [online]. Availabe at: www.diversityrx.org/htmL/ESGLOS.htm. [Accessed on 3/4/2011].

   Carroll, A. B.1979. ‘A three-dimensional conceptual model of corporate  performance'.  Academy of Management Review 4(4), 497-505.

   Laudon & Laudon (2003) Management Information Systems, Managing the Digital Firm, 8th edition.

   I. Sommerville (2004), Software Engineering, 7th Edition, Addison Wesley Longman publishers

   T.Bynum(2008), Computer and Information Ethics, ,[Online] , Available from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-computer/,[Accesed 6/4/2011]

   IEEE/ACM, 1999. Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice. IEEE computer society. [Online]. Available at: http://www.uces.csulb.edu/spin/media/pdf/ethics-ieee-cs.pdf. [Accessed on 3/4/2011]

   Don Gotterbarn, 1999. Not all Codes are Created Equal: The Software Engineering Code of Ethics, a Success Story. Journal of Business Ethics 22: 81-89.

   Don Gotterbarn, n.d. Two Approaches to Computer Ethics: The Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice. [online]. Available at: http://www.sdresearch.org/Published%20Papers/Computer_Ethics_the_Software_Engineering_COde.pdf. [Accessed on 7/4/2011]

    ICCP.org. [online]. Available at: http://www.iccp.org/. [Accessed on 7/4/2011]

   APEGBC.bc.ca. [online]. Available at: http://www.apeg.bc.ca/. [Accessed on 7/4/2011]

   Witkin, H.A., and  D.R.Goodenough:1977, “Field Dependence and Interpersonal  Behavior”, Psychological Bulletin  84,  661-689.

   M.  A.  Pierce and J. W. Henry (1996). Computer Ethics:  The Role of Personal, Informal, and Formal Codes. Journal of Business Ethics 15:  425-437.

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