Professional & Ethical Issues
( The BCS at Work )
University of Surrey
16th October 2003
Professor David J Parsons
BCS Regional Operations Manager North
Agenda
Today’s Business / Technology Environments
The Role & Importance of Information Systems
The Need for Professionalism
Information Systems Engineering
Professional & Ethical Issues
Role of Professional Societies
Conclusions
We live in an increasingly complex environment
President of the World Future Society said in his 1996 annual report :
'the global network of interconnected computers and
telecommunications links is already the biggest machine ever
built..... but it will likely become bigger and more powerful in the
coming decades. This monster machine will fundamentally
transform human life as we know it today.‘
We should ask whether is it just as relevant today – as we look at the
Professional & Ethical Issues facing today’s IS Professional
© David J. Parsons 2003
Professional – a definition
( NOD )
PROFESSIONAL - “of or belonging to a profession
....... involving training....... showing appropriate
skill ........ maintaining proper standards .......
competent .... expert....."
The Business Environment
faced by today’s IS Professional
• Change the only constant factor
• Pressures on costs and revenues
• Intensive competition - traditional markets under
attack
• Markets - global, location independent, customer
focused
• Customers - more demanding
• Increasing range of technology related opportunities
• IT becoming essential to compete
© David J. Parsons 2003
The Technology Environment
faced by today’s IS Professional
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Change / pace of change
Huge amounts of storage
Ever increasing processing power
Increasing amounts of networking bandwidth
Better - faster - smaller - cheaper
Pervasive / ubiquitous computing
Mobile / portable everything
'E' / ‘M’ everything
Technology driven Information / 'cyber' age
© David J. Parsons 2003
The ‘Martini’ Scenario
Anytime - anyplace - anywhere
Technology that will allow
ANY user :
ANY where
ANY time
ANY how
Authorised access to :
ANY products
ANY services
ANY information
Available from
Located :
ANY information or service provider
ANY where
ANY distance from the user
The ‘Martini’ Scenario - the ‘right’ one
Technology that will provide the RIGHT user :
Authorised access to :the RIGHT products
the RIGHT services
the RIGHT information
At the RIGHT location
In the RIGHT format
At the RIGHT time
For the RIGHT price
ISE IMPORTANCE
Information Systems now critical to
Individuals
Business & Wealth Creation
Communications
National Economy
Information Systems have become all Pervasive
The need for Professionalism
Are IS / IT Professionals getting it RIGHT ?
Remember the old adage : PERCEPTION IS REALITY
Some surveys suggest that the performance of the IS /IT
Industry leaves much to be desired.
Scientific American Survey - 1994
Gartner / Standish Surveys - 1998
OASIG Survey – 1998
© David J. Parsons 2003
The Need for Professionalism
Survey Results - 1
Scientific American 1994
25% of all large scale developments cancelled
Gartner / Standish 1998
Almost 33% of the projects failed altogether
OASIG 1998
About 40% of developments fail or are abandoned
© David J. Parsons 2002
The Need for Professionalism
Survey Results - 2
Gartner / Standish 1998
Almost 75% of IT projects exceeded their budgets &
schedules
OASIG 1988
About 80% of systems are delivered late
and over budget
© David J. Parsons 2002
IS Industry Performance – 3
What about something more up to date ?
Standish 2002 *
31% of projects cancelled before completion
88% of projects exceed deadline, budget or both
For every 100 starts, there are 94 restarts
Average cost overrun – 189%
Average schedule overrun – 222%
*
IT Project Management : On Track from Start to Finish
Joseph Philips ( McGraw Hill ) 2002
© David J. Parsons 2003
IS Industry Performance – 3
What about nearer home ?
Computing
26th Sept. 2002 “More project skills for civil servants”
3rd Oct. 2002 “Trials begin on Child Support IT system”
Computer Weekly
3rd Oct. 2002 “ National insurance number errors not
taxpayers fault “
© David J. Parsons 2003
IT Professionalism – some questions ??
As IS / IT Professionals - is this level of performance acceptable ?
Would a situation in other branches of engineering be accepted
if, for example :
4 bridges in 10 failed ??
4 out of 10 miles of new highway were unusable ??
Are there differences between Information Systems
Engineering and other branches of Engineering ?
What can be learnt that will help the IS /IT Professional ?
© David J. Parsons 2003
The Need for Professionalism
Computing - 7th August 2003
“IT failures show lessons have not been learnt”
POST ( Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology )
Report on GOVERNMENT IT PROJECTS – July 2003
© David J. Parsons 2003
Report on GOVERNMENT IT PROJECTS – July 2003
Technology Issues – specific to IT :
Rapidly changing technology
User requirements
Complexity
Oversight
Project Issues :
Relations with Suppliers
Project management
© David J. Parsons 2003
Report on GOVERNMENT IT PROJECTS – July 2003
Causes of Project Failure :
Lack of clear link between project and organisations priorities
Lack of clear senior management ownership
Lack of effective engagement with project stakeholders
Lack of project / risk management skills
Lack of understanding / contact with supply industry
Evaluation driven by price NOT value for money
Too little breakdown of projects into manageable steps
Inadequate resources and skills to deliver requirements
© David J. Parsons 2003
Professional – a definition
( NOD )
PROFESSIONAL - “of or belonging to a profession
....... involving training....... showing appropriate
skill ........ maintaining proper standards .......
competent .... expert....."
Information Systems Engineering
Key words
Taken from the Definition of Information Systems Engineering agreed
between the BCS and the Engineering Council :
Creation, use and support of information systems for the
solution of practical problems.
Specification, design, construction, testing, bringing into service,
maintenance and enhancement
Quality assurance
Design, development and use of standards and tools
Fitness for purpose, range of functionality, economy and efficiency,
reliability, cost-effectiveness, security and safety, and life cycle
support.
© David J. Parsons 2003
Where do we need to develop our professional
skills, be expert, competent etc. ?
Technical skills associated with our profession :
Programming, systems, operations, support etc....
Other skills essential to most ( including our ) professions
People
Project
Personal
© David J. Parsons 2003
Professional Responsibilities –
‘people’ examples
Systems impact people
Users, individuals, management, colleagues, customers,
clients etc.
Considering impact on work & working practices
Ensuring fitness for purpose – meeting users’ / clients’ needs
Team matters – leading, coaching, advising
© David J. Parsons 2003
Professional Responsibilities –
Project Management examples
Requirements – care & diligence ( including legal issues )
Solutions – ensuring designs meet requirements
Risk Analysis – security, restart, recovery
Task / time / skills / resource scheduling / management
Meeting schedules within budgets
Ensuring quality at all stages of systems life cycle
© David J. Parsons 2003
Professional Responsibilities –
a few Legal examples
Health & Safety - Critical Systems
Data Protection
Intellectual Property
Computer Misuse
Computer Contracts
Computer generated evidence
etc. etc.
© David J. Parsons 2003
Legal Issues
A few important thoughts
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We all have a duty to comply
Technology - including software is relatively new
Law not always considered adequate to deal with issues
thrown up by new technology
Legal Profession has variable levels of experience
as to how the law relates to IT
Legal issues can be & often are complex
Complexity increases with global operations
Find a good lawyer !!
Professional Responsibilities –
‘personal’ examples
Taking responsibility for own actions & those of subordinates
including our CPD - ( Continuing Professional Development )
Maintaining our knowledge & understanding
Developing our competence & expertise
If necessary, identifying actual / potential personal conflicts of
interest
© David J. Parsons 2003
So we have :
Issues, Pressures, Challenges,
Opportunities associated with :
• Business Pressures / challenge of change
• Technical challenges & opportunities
• People issues
• Project ( including legal issues )
• Personal professionalism - keeping ‘up to date’
& maintaining high standards of personal behaviour
& this is where Professional Ethics need to be considered
© David J. Parsons 2003
ETHICS – definitions
General - New Oxford Dictionary
‘Moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour
or the conducting of an activity ‘
Ethics & Computing - Robert Ayers :
Professional Issues in Computing
‘Ethics is concerned with questions of right and wrong, good
and bad, and determining how people should behave in
particular situations’
© David J. Parsons 2003
PRACTICAL Computer Ethics
NOT academic philosophical study
BUT Practical issues - e.g.
Dealing with personal uncertainties
Dealing with conflicts of opinion
What choice should I make ?
Is this action unfair ?
Source : Duncan Langford Practical Computer Ethics
© David J. Parsons 2003
Professional Behaviour
Why be ethical ?
Discussions held with Computer Science
undergraduates suggest these points :
TRUST
as a reliable IS / IT Professional
SECURITY
guarding against unexpected
outcomes
COMFORT
peace of mind
Source : Duncan Langford – Practical Computer Ethics
© David J. Parsons 2003
Professional Behaviour
Which action should I take ?
Ethics Check Questions
Taken from Blanchard & Peale : The Power of Ethical Management
Is it LEGAL ?
Will it violate either civil law or company policy ?
Is it BALANCED ?
Is it fair to all concerned - short and long term ?
Does it promote win-win relationships ?
How will it make me feel about myself ?
Will it make me feel proud ?
Would I feel good if my decision were published ?
Would I feel good if my family knew about it ?
© David J. Parsons 2003
Professional & Ethical Issues
Professional Behaviour – sources of help
We have briefly discussed how systems impact & issues related to:
people, projects, personal professionalism
We have also briefly looked at the need for
professional compliance
personal integrity
high standards of personal behaviour
Is there a source of help ?
e.g.
Can the Codes of Conduct / Practise of the
Professional Societies provide any useful guidelines ?
© David J. Parsons 2003
Professional Societies – a source of help ?
What can they do / what do they do ?
Accredit individual professional competence and integrity
Advise the UK Government on IS-related matters, examine & initiate
debate on topical IS issues
Represent profession on issues of importance
Set standards for education and training
Provide opportunities for networking through branch and specialist
groups
IMPORTANTLY they set standards for
professional conduct
etc. etc.....
© David J. Parsons 2003
Professional Society - Codes of Conduct
Define rules of Professional & Personal Conduct ( i.e. behaviour )
( in the case of the BCS the professional standards required as a
condition of membership )
Allow evaluation of what should be expected from
members of their profession.
Provide clear definitions of what is acceptable and
what is unacceptable behaviour
© David J. Parsons 2003
British Computer Society
Code of Conduct & Practise
The BCS Introduced Revised Codes of Conduct and Practise in
January 2002. The revised Code of Conduct covers :
The Public Interest
Rules 1 - 6
Duty to Relevant Authority
Rules 7 - 9
Duty to the Profession
Rules 10 - 13
Professional Competence & Integrity Rules 14 – 17
Copies can be ‘downloaded’ from the BCS WEB Site
© David J. Parsons 2003
British Computer Society
Code of Conduct & Practice
Code of Practise covers :
Maintaining ‘standards’ of competence
& Members’ Duty of Professional Care
Upgrading/ maintaining personal knowledge / skill
Maintaining awareness of relevant :
• technological developments
• procedures
• standards
Encouraging sub-ordinates to do the same
© David J. Parsons 2003
Other Organisation
Codes of Conduct & Practice
Institution of Analysts and Programmers (IAP)
Similar in structure to the BCS
Includes Duties to the Public, Profession, the IAP, Clients / Employers
ACM - Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct
Defined in terms of :
General Moral Imperatives
Specific Professional Responsibilities
Organisational Leadership Imperatives
Institution of Electrical Engineers
Institution for the Management of Information Systems
There are links to these and many others from the BCS WEB Site
© David J. Parsons 2003
Looking to the future..........
As IS Professionals we can expect to see pressure for
Professional Standards & Behaviour from :
Customers / Clients / Users
Industry & Commerce
Government
& possibly the Insurance Industry
© David J. Parsons 2003
To help to respond to the issues / pressures :
Professional Societies can provide :
Some useful guidelines
e.g. through Codes of Conduct / Practice
Support
e.g.
Branches & Specialist Groups
CPD Schemes
etc..
© David J. Parsons 2003
Some Conclusions for IS/IT Professionals
Putting the ISSUES in context
Information systems are here to stay !
Technology is becoming all pervasive
Technology & associated information systems are becoming /
have become essential to most / many businesses
Businesses will demand more of the technology & information
systems investments e.g. quality, reliability, functionality
As individuals involved with IS/IT we ALL need to be professional and
act professionally
Perhaps Professional Societies like the BCS can help.
© David J. Parsons 2003
The increasingly complex information &
technological infrastructure - a challenge
President of the World Future Society :
'the global network of interconnected computers and
telecommunications links is already the biggest machine ever
built..... but it will likely become bigger and more powerful in the
coming decades. This monster machine will fundamentally
transform human life as we know it today.‘
This comment was made in 1996 – is it just as relevant today ?
© David J. Parsons 2003
The FUTURE ?
What other Professional & Ethical issues
do IS Professionals need to be considering ?
These are some of my thoughts / questions :
Are we becoming excessively reliant on IT ?
Any there morally/ethically objectionable uses of IT ?
What will be the social impact of incessant growth of IT ?
Will DATA be the next major pollutant ?
Are we developing a digital divide – separating the information haves
from the information have nots .
I leave them with you - no doubt you can and will add your own thoughts
to this list !
© David J. Parsons 2003
The increasingly complex information &
technological infrastructure - a challenge
President of the World Future Society :
'the global network of interconnected computers and
telecommunications links is already the biggest machine ever
built..... but it will likely become bigger and more powerful in the
coming decades. This monster machine will fundamentally
transform human life as we know it today.‘
It surely HAS and surely WILL continue so to do.
That is why an understanding of PROFESSIONAL, ETHICAL and
related ISSUES is so important to us all.
© David J. Parsons 2003
Thank You