Professional Ethics & Standards Flashcards

A tester is pressured by a project manager to mark test cases as 'passed' without executing them due to time constraints. This would violate which ethical principle?

Answer: Integrity

Marking tests as passed without executing them is a direct violation of integrity, as it involves falsifying professional records and deceiving stakeholders.

According to professional ethics standards, how should a tester handle confidential information about defects discovered in a client's system?

Answer: Keep it confidential and share it only with authorized parties on a need-to-know basis

Professional ethics require testers to keep client and project information confidential, sharing it only with those who are authorized and have a legitimate need to know.

What is 'test oracle bias' and why is it an ethical concern?

Answer: When a tester unconsciously assumes the expected output matches the actual output without proper verification

Test oracle bias occurs when testers unconsciously accept incorrect outputs as correct, and it is an ethical concern because it can lead to undetected defects reaching users.

In a professional testing engagement, a tester discovers that their test results contradict the client's internal test results. What is the ethical approach?

Answer: Document and report findings objectively, then facilitate a review to resolve the discrepancy

Professional ethics require objective reporting of findings, and discrepancies between test results should be transparently documented and investigated rather than suppressed.

The principle of 'professional courage' in testing ethics refers to:

Answer: The willingness to report unwelcome findings honestly despite organizational or social pressure

Professional courage means having the fortitude to honestly report defects, risks, and findings even when doing so is unwelcome or creates conflict with management or stakeholders.

Which of the following scenarios represents an ethical violation of the tester's duty to the public?

Answer: Knowingly approving a safety-critical system that has unresolved high-severity defects

Approving a safety-critical system with known unresolved high-severity defects puts the public at risk and is a serious violation of a tester's professional and ethical duty.

What is the purpose of a 'code of ethics' in the software testing profession?

Answer: To define standards of professional conduct that guide ethical decision-making

A professional code of ethics establishes principles and standards of conduct that help practitioners make ethical decisions and maintain professional integrity.