The Ethical and Moral Obligations that an Individual Has as a Computer - Case Study Example

Discuss the Ethical and Moral Obligations That an Individual Has As A Computer Professional ID: ID: Discussthe Ethical and Moral Obligations That an Individual Has As A Computer Professional People often go to work with one objective in mind; to money. However, there is more to work than many people think. The employer normally expects his or her workers to meet certain organizational goals. Computing professionals engage in a number of activities including writing software requirements specifications for new software and hardware, making designs, programming, testing and validation, installation, and maintenance. In order to achieve this, employs not only have to work hard, but also work within certain rules and regulations. Apart from these, IT professionals are expected to use their conscience while going about their activities; this is brought about by the sensitivity of the systems they develop. Their decisions affect the overall performance of the systems they develop; hence, the users welfare. These obligations levied on computer professionals are called professional ethics. These ethics are based on human virtues and morals accepted in society. Some of these traits that form the basis of professional ethics include honesty, fairness, kindness, trustworthiness, and respect. Many at times, computing professionals find themselves in situations whereby they only have their conscience to guide them while doing their work. This is because technology changes so fast that laws and regulations lag behind. Before these laws are passed, and even after they have been instituted, computing professionals still have to rely on their own intuition. This paper discusses the ethical and moral obligations that computer professionals have, with special attention to software development. Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practise Software developers, including designers, programmers, and testers have to observe ethics while doing their work. The software engineering code of ethics and professional practice requires that these professionals observe the following requirements: a. Product The product of the software development process should depict the highest professional standards attainable. In order to do this, the software engineers should take the following steps: Make sure that they work with realistic goals and objectives Ensure that they keep high quality standards, operate under acceptable costs and schedules, while ensuring that the client is aware of any trade-offs made The project’s ethical, environmental, cultural, economic, and legal issues should be identified, defined, and addressed. The developers should ensure that they have the right qualifications; this includes their academic qualifications, experience, and training. They should select the right methodology for every project they undertake. Sticking to the best available professional standards for their projects, only deviating from them when technical or ethical issues them. Ensure that they have a good understanding of the projects they are expected to deliver before commencing work on them. Ensure there is sufficient documentation of the projects t working on, and that requirements meet the client’s expectations. It is also crucial that the engineers get all the necessary authorization. They should do thorough testing, and reviews of the software and their documents. They should use accurate data that is derived using legal, ethical means, and in authorized ways. Strive to maintain data reliability, providing mechanisms for updating old and damaged data. Put as much emphasis on software maintenance as it is in software development. i. Employer and client Software engineers’ actions should satisfy their employers’ and clients’ requirements. b. Public Software developers are required to ensure that their activities uphold public health, safety, and wellbeing. In order to do this, they should ensure that they undertake the following activities: i. Let the stakeholders be aware of the effects of using the software. This should include third party users and the environment. ii. Software should be endorsed only if it passes all tests meant to establish its safety, specifications, and impact on human life and the environment. iii. Developers should only sign documents that have been drafted under their watch. In addition, they should be competent in the areas, and only sign when they are in agreement. iv. Actively participate in activities meant to tackle problems brought about by software and related documentation. v. Engineers should make sure that their software products can accommodate the diversity that society presents. This should encompass economic, physical, mental, and spiritual diversity. vi. They should be honest about the effects of software and related software on the public. vii. They should be willing to donate their professional skills to the public if need be. viii. Developers should put the public’s interest ahead of their employers’, clients’, and users. c. Judgment i. Developers should uphold their professional goals when asked to carry out any evaluation related to their work. ii. Developers should never accept unprofessional inducements iii. Software engineers should approve systems and documents they are in charge of, and in areas where they are proficient. iv. Payments for a project should not be accepted from different sources except in situations where all parties have formally agreed. v. Honesty should be practiced at all levels; all conflicts of interest should be made clear and steps taken to correct them. vi. Stick to giving suggestions but never participating in decision making for any organization or government. d. Client and Employer i. System developers should provide services only in their areas of specialization. ii. All documents that developers use should have been approved by a person who has the authority to do so. iii. System engineers should keep in confidence information they come across while developing systems for clients, as long as they are not in conflict with the public interest. iv. Developers should reject any attempt to use unauthorized or falsely acquired software. v. All social matters that may affect the project should be identified, documented and reported to the employer/client. vi. The developers should inform their clients of any potential failure, cost increase, or violation of intellectual property. vii. Once a contract is signed, the developer should not engage in any other activity that might compromise the project. e. Management As a manager, a software engineer should ensure that he or she creates a suitable environment that encourages those they lead to deliver on their obligations, both personal and collective. This can be achieved in the following ways: i. Informing employees of company standards before allocating them any tasks. ii. Enlightening employees of the company’s privacy policy. iii. Allocating tasks based on employee experience, education, and morale. iv. Outline mechanisms for sorting out issues related to the employer’s policy or the software engineering code of conduct. v. Developing a fair policy on the ownership of intellectual property, processes, research, and writing, that employees come up with while working for the company. vi. Provide fair and just remuneration for employees vii. Provide a detailed description of terms and conditions of employment when announcing job vacancies. f. Profession Software developers are required to uphold the integrity and reputation of Software Engineering while maintaining public safety, health, and welfare. These can be advanced in the following ways: i. Deal with only decent organizations and businesses. ii. Ensure that clients are aware of the developers’ commitment to the Software Engineering code of ethics. iii. Support those who adhere to the code of ethics iv. Develop business environments that encourage ethical actions v. Update relevant authorities on any violations of the code of conduct. vi. Be responsible for error detection, reporting, and correction in software and related documents. g. Colleagues System developers should treat their colleagues with respect and fairness. This will ensure that they work together harmoniously to deliver quality software. The following actions should be taken to make this possible: i. Help their workmates in professional development ii. Appraise the works of other software developers, not in the public domain only after obtaining their permission. iii. Give due credit to the owners of works. iv. Be accommodative to the opinions of others. v. They should not be stumbling blocks to the professional advancement of other software engineers. vi. Consult professionals in areas where they have limited knowledge. h. Self Software engineers have the personal responsibility of trying to ensure that they improve their skills continuously. In order to perfect their skills, developers have to undertake the following activities: a. Advance their ability to develop safe, useful, and reliable quality applications in a reasonable time and cost. b. Improve legal knowledge of laws related to software and their documentation. c. Bettering their understanding of the code of conduct, its interpretation and applications to their work. d. Avoiding influencing other developers into breaking the codes of conduct. Linda’s Dilemma Linda’s professional background cannot be questioned; she has built an incredible career, having started as a programmer, she rose to hold several technical positions before resigning to start her own company. Her success has had her hire a large number of people working for her. It is evident from the way she handles the project involving the toy company. She notices a potential flaw in the design of the system she is supposed to work on, and advises her client on the most appropriate solution. The database she is to develop will contain sensitive information whose security she believes should be guaranteed. However, the client chooses to go the insecure way because developing a secure system would surpass their budget. Despite her elaborate explanation of the risks involved, the company’s management is not willing to change its mind. Whereas she should accept to work on the project and deliver it according to the client’s specifications, there are a number of ethical issues that she has to deal with. Some of these issues include: a. Accepting to develop the system in its insecure form as the management of the company was requesting means that she will be putting the client’s interests above the public’s interests. This would be unethical since it would put people’s private information at risk of exposure. b. Secondly, she would be going against her own pursuit, to develop safe, useful, and reliable software. If she develops the system, and it gets attacked, her professional portfolio would be compromised. She would be blamed for developing an insecure system. Recommendations Linda should not compromise her status as a successful, professional software developer by taking the toy company’s database project. She should contact her client’s and let them know the reasons why she cannot take the project. She can cite the following reasons: 1. Her profession requires her to put the public interest on top of everything else; developing the system as requested by the company would expose private information of potential users at risk of unauthorized access. This would create a lot of harm to the victims. 2. She has a reputation to keep. As much as she seeks to make money developing systems, she has a business to protect. Developing substandard software would put her company’s reputation into question. Conclusion In conclusion, Linda should strive to keep her company’s reputation high. Doing so will not only boost her professional career, but also satisfy her conscience. She will be able to conduct her business knowing that she has completed her part in making sure that society remains a safe place. Read More