Presented at The Computer Ethics Conference, Linköping University, Sweden, 1997 (Taken from: Ethics and Information Technology, Edited by Göran Collste, pp278-296, ISBN 91-7219-680-7)
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Abstract:
Software project management is the collection of techniques used to develop computer systems and deliver various types of software products. This developing discipline traditionally includes technical issues such as: the choice of software development model, how to estimate project size and schedule, how to insure safety, what resources to reuse and which programming environment to use for the development. The discipline also includes management issues such as: when to train personal, what are the risks to the project success, and how to keep the project on schedule. These choices are then embodied in a software project management plan. None of the traditional software project management materials address the ethical issues that arise because of the choices made during software development. Neither do these materials provide any insights as to how to address these issues. In this paper we identify several critical ethical issues that arise in most software projects and provide a proactive way of addressing these issues which is consistent with most professional software development standards.