Let’s face the truth once – amid manifold potentials for every software solution to be bad, it is essential that the professional software developers remain committed to exploring its positive side. In this day and age, almost all the major companies are driven, as well as, disrupted by software.
In a quest to run almost everything – whether it’s a start-up, a large-scale trade or even a Govt. organization – a lot of software solutions are now being built at a lighting pace. Owing to such unprecedented technological advancements, the way companies used to operate their businesses has changed drastically.
But is there something which is being overlooked amid this wind of change…..?
Well today, almost every organization is hell-bent on embracing new technologies to improve their overall status, services, etc. As the pace of this race picks up among organizations, which are trying to rule over their respective markets with premium services or products, the overall impacts (both positive and negative) of software implications on our society might be overlooked.
For instance, certain top-tier technologies built by brands like YouTube, Facebook, etc. will continue to have a mammoth impact on our society. YouTube has definitely changed or re-shaped the world of communication and entertainment, but some of its dire impacts cannot be overlooked completely. Time and again, YouTube has shared many controversial contents, which have left an indelible mark on our society.
The swiftly increasing rush to accomplish deadlines or gain more profits may lead delivery teams to neglect the security part, performance or integration tests, which many evade problematic issues or other bugs. This may lead ‘negative’ software to cease to follow orders in the hands of common public.
Owing to such mind-set or tendency, the importance of abiding by a strict code-of-ethics for software development has become paramount. Even though, just a single code-of-ethics can be a sure-fire solution for today’s software industry, it’s also crucial to train a delivery team on how to tap into the right queries while considering the dire impacts of this emerging solution.
Is There Any Solution to This Growing Concern?
Well, the movement of following code-of-ethics for software development has already started off. The world’s top-tier institutions like MIT, Harvard University, etc., have started imparting a brand-new course to spread more awareness on the regulation and ethics of AI. While more training or courses on this topic are required, it should also emerge as a broader professional commitment of every top-notch organization.
Even though, there is no specific global code-of-ethics in software development, yet one solution that a company may implement is to foster more awareness among its developers. This means that every stakeholder should remain transparent to one another regarding all the work responsibilities or challenges they generally run into. Thus, developers can avoid the risk of rushing their end-products in the market, which may potentially have a dire impact.
A Speck of Light Awaits on the Horizon
Let’s discuss some ways to keep software development code-of-ethics intact. Take a look –
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Build Internal COE
A highly effective way a company can gain transparency is to build its own internal COE or code-of-ethics. One baseline that a company can utilize to build its COE includes the Scrum values. Being a highly popular Agile Framework, Scurm has been continuously used right from the middle of 90’s by different development teams, which were building software solutions based on their products. Certain values that a company may use to bolster its COE include courage, commitment, focus, respect, openness, etc.
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Courage is the Key
In case, if any unethical activities or behaviours of some employees in a company are hampering its COE, then the other members should call it out immediately. An unethical decision won’t disappear on its own after all! Hence, a company’s leaders are required to act with a sense of responsibility. By encouraging developers to remain transparent to one another, an organization can spell ethically positive outcomes to its clients, staff, shareholders, etc.
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Commitment should be Unbendable
The term commitment hints at a sense of trust that every organization should embed into its values, ethics, and approach. By making an unbending commitment, a best software development company can keep its COE absolutely intact.
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A Clear Focus is the Asset
Rather than working on an independent note, software development teams are now collaborating on customer-centric approach and outcomes. This is the reason why, organization leaders are now empowering their employees to handle the complex tasks in the first place before moving forward to an end product. By putting an emphasis on just one responsibility at a time, software development teams can successfully bring their best resources in their marketing activities.
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Benefits of Openness Should be Reaped
Just like an unbending commitment, organization leaders are required to encourage their staff to have openness about their responsibilities. This will help them bring a sense of transparency in their work approach. When an assumption regarding how a software product should be built ends up appearing invalid, it’s openness that will ultimately lead employees to seek help and thereby deliver products with better quality. The approach of openness is often described through the values of ‘learn first.’ Being open to the new changes is the key to achieving the ultimate success.
The Ending Note
Remember the popular adage that say, “With greater power derives greater responsibilities?” This is highly applicable to all the companies – no matter how big or small it is – that are producing and releasing their services to benefit the society, in some or the other way. Such products are influencing our way of living, after all! This is the reason why, all the top-notch organizations should take the plunge to bolster their codes-of-ethics by leaps and bounds.
