Testers Code of Ethics

To see all articles of ISTQB-ISEB Foundation guide, see here:

Software Testing-ISTQB ISEB Foundation Guide

In our previous article, we have discussed Psychology of Software Testing.

Testers must adhere to a code of ethics: they are required to act in a professional manner. Testers can have access to confidential and/or privileged information, and they are to treat any information with care and attention, and act responsibly to the owner(s) of this information, employers and the wider public interest. Of course, anyone can test software, so the declaration of this code of conduct applies to those who have achieved software testing certification! The code of ethics applies to the following areas:

• Public—Certified software testers shall consider the wider public interest in their actions.
• Client and employer—Certified software testers shall act in the best interests of their client and employer (being consistent with the wider public interest).
• Product—Certified software testers shall ensure that the deliverables they provide (for any products and systems they work on) meet the highest professional standards possible.
• Judgement—Certified software testers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgement.
• Management—Certified software test managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote and ethical approach to the management of software testing.
• Profession—Certified software testers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.
• Colleagues—Certified software testers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues, and promote cooperation with software developers.
• Self—Certified software testers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession, and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

To check your understanding, I would again like to ask you some questions:

Why do testers need to consider how they treat information they use?
What eight areas should testers consider when conducting themselves in the workplace?

You may follow the complete series of Fundamentals of Testing articles here:

Why a Software Fails?
Keeping Software Test Under Control
What Testing is and What Testing Does
Software Testing Principles
Fundamental Software Test Processes
Psychology of Software Testing
Testers Code of Ethics
ISTQB Sample Questions

To see all articles of ISTQB-ISEB Foundation guide, see here:

Software Testing-ISTQB ISEB Foundation Guide