In: Computer Science
Subject : Professional ethics in computing
Software Engineer Christopher is hired by software company, ABC Software, and involved in the design of specialized software for Gladstone City Council (GCC) in connection with the operations of facilities that impact on public health and safety, such as those that control air and water quality. Testing the software system is part of the design process. Christopher conducts extensive testing and finds that the software is safe to use under existing standards. But Christopher is aware that new draft standards are about to be released by the national standard setting organization, standards that the newly designed software may not meet. Christopher suggests that ABC Software and GCC perform additional testing on the software to see if it meets these new safety standards. Such testing would determine whether the software is suitable for release as it currently exists or whether further development is required. But GCC is eager to proceed and ABC Software is eager to satisfy its client and protect its finances and existing jobs. Doing the additional testing would be extremely costly and delay the project at least six months. This would put ABC Software at a competitive disadvantage and cost it a lot of money, putting the goals of protecting its finances at risk. However, ABC Software wants to be sure that the software is safe to use. ABC Software has requested Christopher's recommendation concerning the need for additional software testing. (adapted from Online Ethics Centre for Engineering and Science. Software Design Testing. Retrieved 24/9/2014 from http://www.onlineethics.org/Resources/Cases/ec96-4.aspx)
a) State the ethical dilemma that confronts Christopher.
b) Use bullet points to list the relevant facts as given in the scenario.
c) What are the potential consequences and to whom, if the software is not tested further and the new standards are not met?
d) What are the consequences and to whom, if the extra testing is done?
e) What conflicting duties does Christopher have in this scenario?
f) What rights do the general public, Gladstone City Council and ABC Software have in this scenario
g) What virtues should Christopher exhibit in this scenario are observe in this scenario?
i) Recommend the course of action that Christopher should take giving reasons based on some or all of your previous 6 answers (parts c to h)
Question_01. State the ethical dilemma that confronts Christopher.
Answer => The ethical dilemma faced by Christopher is that whether to make sure that the developed application is safe to use or to ensure the organizational interests i.e. growth and benefits of the organization.
Question_02. Use bullet points to list the relevant facts as given in the scenario.
Answer => The Relevant Facts given in the scenario are:
> The Developed Application meets its current requirements.
> The Application is tested under the existing standards and proven safe to use.
> Quality Assurance may fail for the new set of standards that are under the pipeline.
> Time and cost constraints for additional testing.
Question_03. What are the potential consequences and to whom, if the software is not tested further and the new standards are not met?
Answer => The Consequences are as below:
> GCC would be in bad condition that the new software fails to meet functionality very shortly.
> Development Company fails to foresee near-future changes.
Question_04. What are the consequences and to whom, if the extra testing is done?
Answer => ABC Software will have time and cost constraints if extra testing is done.
But this will add more stability to the Application and helps the company in the Long run.
Question_05. What conflicting duties does Christopher have in this scenario?
Answer => Christopher is in charge of the Quality assurance of the Application.
So he needs to ensure the stability of the Application.
At the same time, he needs to protect the interests of his company as well.
Question_06. What rights do the general public, Gladstone City Council and ABC Software have in this scenario
Answer => The two parties should have a common agreement in terms of application release and the standards that are built into the application, since the current application, is not sure to meet the upcoming near-future revised standards.
Question_07. What virtues should Christopher exhibit in this scenario are observe in this scenario?
Answer => Below are the Virtues, Christopher should exhibit
a. Honesty.
b. confidentiality.
c. Strive for High Quality.
d. Escalate to concerned parties about the conflicts of interest that cannot be avoided or that can lead to a showstopper for the application.
Question_08. Recommend the course of action that Christopher should take giving reasons based on some or all of your previous 6 answers
Answer => Christopher should be taking the following actions :
> Identify the potential risk areas. (Software should not suffer a setback in the market, which will lead to a competitive disadvantage for ABC Software company).
> Set the Boundary conditions to check. (Report the risk areas by narrowing the changes to be done).
> Make the new releases in small chunks. (Development can be done very fast and the company stays competitive).
> Discuss the points with Company and client and get the approval.