SE-200
Software Engineering
Dr. Qurat-ul-Ain
Recap
❖ Essential
software product attributes are
maintainability, dependability and
security, efficiency and acceptability.
❖ Software engineering is an engineering
discipline that is concerned with all
aspects of software production.
○ software processes
○ challenges
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Objectives
✓ Professional Software
Engineering and its
Importance
✓ Guidelines for
Software Engineering
Ethics
Software
Engineering Ethics
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Need for Ethics
❖ Most
professions have a Code of Ethics
❖ Code
of Ethics (decision making)
❖ Code
of Conduct (actions)
○ Assists in deciding right and wrong
○ Aspirational
○ Employee rule
○ enforcement
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Need for Ethics
❖ Software
engineering involves wider
responsibilities
than
simply
the
application of technical skills.
❖ Software engineers must behave in an
honest and ethically responsible way if
they are to be respected as professionals.
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Issues of professional responsibility
❖ Confidentiality
○ Engineers should normally respect the
confidentiality of their employers or
clients irrespective of whether or not a
formal confidentiality agreement has been
signed.
❖ Competence
○ Engineers should not misrepresent
their level of competence. They should
not knowingly accept work which is out
with their competence.
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Issues of professional responsibility
❖ Intellectual
property rights
○ 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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Issues of professional responsibility
❖ Computer
misuse
○ 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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ACM/IEEE Code of Ethics
❖ The
professional societies in the US have
cooperated to produce a code of ethical
practice.
❖ Members of these organizations sign up to
the code of practice when they join.
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The ACM/IEEE Code of Ethics
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:
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Public
“
Software engineers shall act consistently with
the public interest.
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Public
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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.
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Client And Employer
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Product
“
Software engineers shall ensure that their
products and related modifications meet the
highest professional standards possible.
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Judgement
“
Software engineers shall maintain integrity
and independence in their professional
judgment.
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Management
Software engineering managers and leaders
shall subscribe to and promote an ethical
approach to the management of software
development and maintenance.
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Profession
“
Software engineers shall advance the integrity
and reputation of the profession consistent
with the public interest.
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Colleagues
“
Software engineers shall be fair to and
supportive of their colleagues.
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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.
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Ethical Principles (Recap)
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.
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Ethical Principles (Recap)
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.
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Ethical Principles (Recap)
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.
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Case I
❖ Zohaib, a programmer, is writing a large program
needed by his company. After months of programming,
Zohaib found himself stuck on several parts of the
program. His manager wants the job completed within
the next few days.
❖ Zohaib remembers that a co-worker gave him code from
his current work and from an early version of a
commercial software package developed at another
company. Studying these programs, Zohaib sees code
which could be directly incorporated into his program.
❖ He uses code from his co-worker and the commercial
software but does not tell anyone or mention it in the
documentation. He completes the project on time.
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Case II
❖ A software company has produced a new software that
incorporates the new tax laws.
❖ The president of the company knows that the program has a
number of errors (bugs). He also believes that the first
company to put this software on the market will capture the
largest market share. When the company actually ships the
software, it includes a disclaimer of responsibility for errors
resulting from the use of the program.
❖ The company expects it will receive a number of complaints
and suggestions for modification. The company plans to use
these to make changes and eventually issue updated,
improved, and debugged versions. The president argues that
this is a general industry policy and that a customer who buys
version 1.0 of a program knows this and he will take proper
precautions.
❖ Because of errors (bugs), a number of customers sent incorrect
tax returns to the government and were penalized.
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Anything missing from
the ethical code???
Ethical Dilemmas
❖ Disagreement
in principle with the
policies of senior management.
❖ Your employer acts in an unethical way
and releases a safety-critical system
without finishing the testing of the
system.
❖ Participation in the development of
military weapons systems or nuclear
systems.
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Summary
Product
Ethical Principles
Public
Judgement
Client
Management
Profession
Colleagues
Self
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Thanks!
Any comment/questions?
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