Professional Ethics & Standards Flashcards

Which organization publishes the 'Standard Glossary of Terms Used in Software Testing' that testers are expected to follow?

Answer: ISTQB

ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) publishes the standard glossary used internationally by software testing professionals.

A tester working on a healthcare application discovers that patient data is being stored insecurely. This was not part of their assigned test scope. What should they do?

Answer: Report the security issue to the appropriate team or management, even though it is outside their scope

Professional responsibility requires reporting potential risks to users or the public even when they fall outside the tester's explicitly assigned scope.

What does 'conflict of interest' mean in the context of software testing ethics?

Answer: A situation where a tester's personal interests could improperly influence their professional judgment

A conflict of interest arises when a tester's personal interests or relationships could improperly influence their professional testing judgments or decisions.

Under the principle of professional competence, what is a tester obligated to do when assigned a task outside their expertise?

Answer: Disclose their limitations and seek additional training, supervision, or assistance

Professional competence requires testers to be honest about their skill limitations and to seek guidance or training when assigned tasks beyond their current expertise.

The concept of 'independence in testing' is important primarily because:

Answer: Independent testers are less likely to have cognitive biases that prevent finding defects in code they wrote

Independent testers are free from the psychological bias of not wanting to find flaws in work they created, making them more objective and effective at defect detection.

When a tester signs a test completion report, they are professionally affirming that:

Answer: The testing activities described were conducted as stated and results are accurately represented

Signing a test completion report is a professional attestation that the described testing activities were performed and that the reported results accurately reflect what was observed.

Which of the following best describes the ethical principle of 'non-maleficence' as applied to software testing?

Answer: Testers must avoid actions that could cause harm to users, stakeholders, or the public

Non-maleficence in testing means testers must avoid actions, omissions, or decisions that could result in harm to users, third parties, or the general public.