ICT-Professionalism_ David H. Gleason
ICT Professionalism 1
By David H. Gleason
Principal Consultant, ITforProgress.com www.LinkedIn.com/in/dgleason Copyright © 2003
Rev. 11/13/09
Abstract:
This paper addresses issues of the ethics of professionalizing software engineering. While recent activities have impeded movement toward licensure in the United States, software engineering is likely to move inexorably toward legal authorization. This paper explores the ethics of professionalism, the state of licensure and certification efforts, and analyzes practical difficulties with software engineering. It then makes a series of recommendations on how to approach the professionalism issue, under the assumption that, sooner or later, formal authorization of software engineers is likely.
Introduction
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development and implementation continues to be extremely problematic, and many observers have recommended a professionalization, even licensing of its practitioners. This paper argues that a move to software engineering professionalism and formal authorization is inevitable, and that careful attention to the parameters of professionalism is needed now.
The paper will discuss the concept of professionalism in general, then review the current status of ICT licensure. It will discuss practical problems with systems development and implementation, and explain how a “profession” of ICT might mitigate against these difficulties. It will conclude with a possible conjunction of business motives that could lead to professionalization of ICT in industry and formal authorization of software engineers.
The paper will use the modes of professionalism in medicine, law and electrical engineering to elucidate some of the benefits and risks of licensure, and discuss the work done so far by the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)on the issue of professionalization. Unless otherwise specified, this paper refers to professionalizing activities in the
By David H. Gleason
Principal Consultant, ITforProgress.com www.LinkedIn.com/in/dgleason Copyright © 2003
Rev. 11/13/09
Abstract:
This paper addresses issues of the ethics of professionalizing software engineering. While recent activities have impeded movement toward licensure in the United States, software engineering is likely to move inexorably toward legal authorization. This paper explores the ethics of professionalism, the state of licensure and certification efforts, and analyzes practical difficulties with software engineering. It then makes a series of recommendations on how to approach the professionalism issue, under the assumption that, sooner or later, formal authorization of software engineers is likely.
Introduction
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development and implementation continues to be extremely problematic, and many observers have recommended a professionalization, even licensing of its practitioners. This paper argues that a move to software engineering professionalism and formal authorization is inevitable, and that careful attention to the parameters of professionalism is needed now.
The paper will discuss the concept of professionalism in general, then review the current status of ICT licensure. It will discuss practical problems with systems development and implementation, and explain how a “profession” of ICT might mitigate against these difficulties. It will conclude with a possible conjunction of business motives that could lead to professionalization of ICT in industry and formal authorization of software engineers.
The paper will use the modes of professionalism in medicine, law and electrical engineering to elucidate some of the benefits and risks of licensure, and discuss the work done so far by the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)on the issue of professionalization. Unless otherwise specified, this paper refers to professionalizing activities in the
References: ACM (2000), Summary of the ACM position on Software Engineering as a licensed Profession, online at http://www.acm.org/serving/se_policy/selep_main.html/ accessed ACM Panel on Professional Licensing in Software Engineering Report to Council (May 15,1999) online at http://www.acm.org/serving/se_policy/report.html/ accessed 7/27/02 Adams, Kenneth R. (1999), Texas Board of Professional Engineers to License Software Engineers, online at http://www.denveraitp.org/legislative/certification.html accessed Gotterbarn, Donald, Software Development Impact Statement (1999) online at http://www.ccsr.cse.dmu.ac.uk/conferences/ccsrconf/abstracts99/gotterbarn.html, accessed 7/29/02 IEEE Cerification (1999), online at http://www.computer.org/certification/ accessed 7/27/02 Knight, John et al (2001) On Licensing Software Engineers Working on Safety-Critical Software, online at http://www.acm.org/serving/se_policy/safety_critical.pdf/ accessed 7/26/02 Mead, Nancy (2002) Issues in Licensing and Certification of Software Engineers, online at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/staff/nrm/license.html/ accessed 7/27/02 Notkin, David et al (2000), An Assessment of Software Engineering Body of Knowledge SECODE (1999), Software Engineering Code of Ethics, online at http://www.computer.org/tab/seprof/code.htm/ accessed 7/26/02 Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 1973 SWEBOK website (2001), online at http://www.swebok.org/ accessed 7/26/02