The Emergence of Software Engineering Professionalism

Transcription

1 The Emergence of Software Engineering Professionalism The Role of Professional Societies in the Emergence of Software Engineering Professionalism in the United States and Canada Stephen B. Seidman University of Central Arkansas, USA

2 Software engineering as metaphor First use: NATO conference, Garmisch, 1968 (workshop organizers: Peter Naur, Brian Randell, Fritz Bauer) Intention was deliberately provocative to suggest that current software development practices were hampering the development of industrial software systems to imply that software development should be based on engineering foundations to acquire the presumed benefits of engineering foundations and approaches

3 Engineering Foundations and Approaches Assembly of systems from components SwE: object-oriented analysis and design? Taylor-style industrial engineering SwE: software engineering process? Engineering design process devising a system, component or process to meet desired needs establishment of explicit objectives and criteria

4 Is this all? Engineering is more than a set of basic foundations and approaches It is also a profession What is a professional? What are the characteristics of engineering as a profession? Does software engineering exhibit these characteristics?

5 Professionalism in General According to US jurist S. D. O Connor, the essence of professionalism is a commitment to develop one's skills to the fullest and to apply that responsibly to the problems at hand. Professionalism requires adherence to the highest ethical standards of conduct and a willingness to subordinate narrow self-interest in pursuit of the more fundamental goal of public service

6 Engineering as a Profession Governance Professional societies Control of entrance to the profession Accreditation Professional licensure Certification Enforcing aspects of professional competence and behavior Bodies of knowledge Professional standards Codes of ethics and professional practice

7 Governance of Engineering A professional engineering community is typically represented by one or more selfgoverning professional bodies Corresponding to a specific engineering specialty e.g. IEEE (electrical and electronics engineers) Corresponding to a country s political structure National: Engineers UK Federal: Texas Society of Professional Engineers Professional Engineers Ontario

8 In both cases, umbrella organizations often exist Engineering Institute of Canada (cuts across specialties) National Society of Professional Engineers (cuts across US states)

9 Control of Entrance to Engineering In the United States, there are two aspects of entrance control: Professional licensure Regulation of engineering education

10 US Professional Engineering Licensure Each of the 50 states (and D.C.) award professional licenses to engineers. Licensure as a professional engineer is analogous to obtaining chartered engineer status in the UK and Australia. Licensure requires education, experience, and passing examinations administered by the National Society of Professional Engineers.

11 US Engineering Accreditation Accreditation of US engineering programs is voluntary. However, experience requirements for engineering licensure are lower for graduates of accredited university engineering programs.

12 US engineering accreditation is administered by ABET (formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). The members of ABET are the engineering specialty societies (IEEE, ).

13 In other countries (e.g., Canada, UK, Australia), accreditation of university engineering programs and professional licensure are even more tightly linked. For example, in Canada, graduates of accredited engineering programs don t need to take an examination on engineering content.

14 Enforcing Standards of Professional Competence and Behavior In the US, this is primarily the responsibility of professional societies, such as the National Society of Professional Engineers. NSPE has A code of ethics A board of ethical review Ethics resources for engineers

15 Has SwE earned its Engineering designation? Has SwE moved beyond its metaphorical roots (foundations and approaches)? Has SwE developed the characteristics of an engineering profession?

16 SwE beyond metaphor (Mary Shaw) Engineering practice is characterized by phrases like creating costeffective solutions, to practical problems, and by applying scientific knowledge. Over the last four decades, SwE has clearly made significant progress toward this goal.

17 SwE as an Engineering Profession How is entrance to SwE controlled by professional bodies? What s the status of professional licensure and accreditation of academic programs? Is there a body of knowledge for SwE? Is there a code of ethics for software engineers?

18 Answers: the North American context Professional bodies IEEE-CS (US-centered) ACM (US-centered) CIPS (Canada) Curriculum recommendations ACM/IEEE-CS joint recommendations for software engineering undergraduate curricula (2004) Ongoing effort on Master s curricula, supported by ACM and IEEE-CS

19 Accreditation of SwE academic programs The US experience Computing accreditation was introduced by CSAB, now a member society of ABET SwE accreditation is handled jointly (within ABET) by computing and engineering accreditors The Canadian experience Engineering and computing accreditation are separate CIPS handles computing accreditation CEAB handles engineering accreditation Both societies separately accredit SwE programs

20 SwE Licensure in North America Licenses are awarded locally, by states and provinces. In the US, each state establishes its own criteria for engineering licensure, although the experience and education requirements are similar.

21 For example, in Texas, applicants must have either an accredited degree in engineering, an unaccredited degree in engineering, or a degree in mathematical, physical, or engineering science all applicants must pass two national examinations: Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Foundational engineering knowledge (statics, mechanics, thermodynamics) Principles and Practice (PE) Discipline-specific material graduates of accredited programs must have four years of engineering practice; others must have eight years of practice

22 In Canada, candidates for licensure must have graduated from a CEAB-accredited engineering program or (if a graduate of a non-accredited engineering program) must complete an assigned examination program must have 3 or 4 years of professional practice must take an examination on professional practice, ethics, engineering law and liability

23 Can SW engineers be Iicensed in North America? Canada: Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia US: Texas (other states may follow soon) In the US, the primary obstacle is the lack of a PE exam for SwE. This is likely to be resolved soon. The second obstacle is the need to change the FE exam so that it is suitable for SW engineers. This will take more time.

24 Role played by professional societies IEEE-CS: watchful waiting, with discussions led by IEEE-USA ACM: expressed strong opposition to SwE licensing in 2000, and withdrew from cooperation with IEEE-CS on SwE professionalism issues Dispute between CIPS and CEAB on SwE program accreditation

25 Professional Societies and Certification Professional status and certification Broad-based certification vs. product-specific certification Broad-based certifications Financial certifications Specialty certifications in medicine or law Product-based certifications Medical device certifications OS or programming-language certifications

26 Broad-based certifications in SwE IEEE-CS certifications CSDP, CSDA Education and experience requirements Examination Continuing education requirements ISO standard for SwE certification schemes ISO/IEC Published last week by ISO

27 Professional Societies and Standards Establishment of standards for professional practice IEEE-CS has been developing software and systems engineering standards for more than 20 years IEEE-CS has category A liaison status with ISO/IEC/JTC1/SC7 IEEE-CS has been harmonizing its SwE standards with the analogous ISO standards

28 Professional Societies and Bodies of Knowledge Professional practice relies on an established body of knowledge In 1999, IEEE-CS and ACM began an effort to develop a SWEBOK, though ACM withdrew from this effort in The SWEBOK project had wide international participation from academia and industry.

29 The first edition of the SWEBOK guide was released in 2004; it has been published as an ISO/IEC technical report. Since a body of knowledge is a living document describing a rapidly changing landscape, constant revision is required. The revision of SWEBOK is expected to be released in 2009.

30 Professional societies and codes of ethics Codes of ethics are frequently developed by professional societies. IEEE-CS and ACM have collaborated to produce the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice. This document is widely regarded as providing an ethical foundation for SwE practice.

31 Conclusion While the original usage of software engineering may have been metaphorical, the ensuing 40 years have seen major progress on the key dimensions of professionalism: Governance Entrance control Preparation Body of knowledge Ethical behavior

32 It is reasonable to conclude that SwE has moved significantly toward internal and external recognition as a professional discipline This progress can be expected to continue.