The call for papers for ETHICOMP 2007
highlights the need to bridge the global nature of
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the local
nature of human beings. There is no doubt that, with regard
to ICT, we now exist in a global market place where, for
example, software can be specified in the USA, developed in
India, and then used by individuals globally on the Internet.
However, there is also a downside. The failure of many
software projects to meet their objectives, or indeed the
termination of partially completed projects, is an all too
often occurrence. The ongoing problem of poor quality
software has been repeatedly highlighted in published studies
[e.g. 1] and by high profile software-related failures. For
the individual, or society, to have confidence in the ICT
systems, which now impinge so significantly on their lives,
there is a clear requirement for greater professionalism
throughout the ICT sector.
Over the last decade, interest in
professionalism within the ICT sector has waxed and waned.
For example, during the 1990s the International Federation
for Information Processing (IFIP), following encouragement
from the World Trade Organisation, initiated activities
related to defining international standards for professionals
in the field of Information Technology. These activities
finally led in 1999 to the release of a document entitled
“Harmonization of Professional Standards” [2]. However,
despite very positive evaluations regarding its proposals in
the early years of this decade [3] there appears to have been
little will, until this year, to advance its acceptance and
address some particular deficiencies.
The ongoing problems associated with poor
quality software and high profile failures have recently
acted as catalysts for particular national computing bodies
to address professionalism in proactive manner. In
particular, the British Computer Society has undertaken since
2005 an ambitiously managed programme [4] with two key
objectives:
By increasing professionalism, to
improve the ability of business and other organisations to
exploit the potential of information technology effectively
and consistently.
To build an IT profession that is
respected and valued by its stakeholders- Government,
business leaders, IT employers, IT users and customers –
for the contribution that it makes to a more professional
approach to the exploitation and application of IT.
The ETHICOMP paper will chart the recent
global and national developments relating to professionalism
in the ICT sector and will provide a critical appraisal of
the likely effectiveness of initiatives such as that
currently being undertaken by the British Computer Society.
It will also cover new international work that IFIP has
initiated following a highly successful workshop “Improving
IT Practitioner Skills”, which was held immediately after
this year’s World Computer Conference in Chile on 25th
August. Finally an evaluation will be presented to assesses
whether we are approaching a situation where IFIP’s
definition for professionals, viz.
Publicly ascribe a code of ethics
published within the standard.
Be aware of and have access to a
well-documented current body of knowledge relevant to the
domain of practice.
Have a mastery of the body of knowledge
at the baccalaureate level.
Have a minimum of the equivalent of two
years supervised experience before the practitioner
operates unsupervised.
Be familiar with current best practice
and relevant proven methodologies.
Be able to provide evidence of their
maintenance of competence.
is acceptable to a global audience.
Selected Sources
[1] BCS, The Challenges of Complex IT Projects. The report
of a working group from The Royal Academy of Engineering and
The British Computer Society. Available online:
http://www.bcs.org/bcs/news/positionsandresponses/positions/complexity.htm,
2004.
IEEE Computer, Vol. 33, No. 5, pp 44-50,
May 2000.
[2] Mitchell I., Juliff P., and Turner J.,
Harmonization of Professional Standards, International
Federation of Information Processing, 1998, at: http://www.ifip.or.at
[3] Thompson, J. B. Evaluations of IFIP’s
Proposed Standards for Professionals. In Proceedings of the
8th IFIP World Conference on Computers in Education, (WCCE
2005), Session P10.3. University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town,
South Africa, July 4-7, 2005.
[4] BCS Professionalism in IT Programme, covered in a
series of articles in the May 2006 issue of IT NOW, British
Computer Society, Swindon, UK.
Additional Information
Prof. J. B. Thompson is Chair of IFIP
Working Group 3.4 which concentrates on the following four
areas of interest:
1. The integration of IT knowledge and
practice with other vocational and professional education,
2. The on-going professional development
of IT practitioners,
3. The provision of initial and on-going
IT training and education for non-IT professionals to enable
them to use and contribute to the development of IT systems,
4. The use of computer-based training
methods in the delivery of education
Prof. J. B. Thompson is also a member of the Executive
Board for the BCS Professionalism in IT Programme. On the
Executive Board he represents the UK Council for Professors
and Heads of Computing.
