Developments in the fields of Software Engineering - Professionalism, standards and best practice
Software Engineering needs to be seen as a professional discipline and for this to occur there needs to be both educational and professional infrastructures which reflect a true “engineering” ethos. A summary of recent movements in the fields of Software Engineering education and professionalism is given, followed by a more in-depth analysis of four particularly significant projects/activities: the project concerned with the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, the Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK) project, the Production of the Software Engineering volume as part of the CC2001 effort, and the work associated with the International Federation for Information Processing’s proposals regarding the Harmonization of Professional Standards in information technology and how this relates to Software Engineering. Finally, conclusions are presented along with details of further work that needs to be undertaken.