Discussion on:

An independent IT consultant's code of ethics

.. but what's with the ".0" on the end of
each numbered item?

Such a code already exists. Contact the Independent Computer Consultants Association, www.icca.org, for more information on this code including their statement of standards and practices as well as the code of ethics.
wmooney@consultantcoach.com

Once again a thought-provoking post, Chip. Many thanks.

A few points:

In #3 you mention qualifying estimates based on your availability and optimism. Can you explain a bit what you mean by 'optimism'? I know there is a link there but I'm hoping for a quick description. Perhaps I'm just a little surprised to see a subjective term like that.

In #4 I'm sure there must be some practical limit to the level of detail that a customer might ask for, beyond which it would be unreasonable?

#9 really speaks to me. To me it means there are times to put down the damn hammer and start looking for the RIGHT tool

#10 is a good summary, kind of a 'do unto others' type of truth, which I'm all for.

In short, I would certainly want to hire the likes of you rather than a large consulting firm.

As a matter of course, over a 10 year consulting career, I've had a few clients who really wanted every step that I performed documented (thinking they were getting free training perhaps?). The solution is to BILL THEM BY THE HOUR for the time required to do so... and soon they figure out the ROI just isn't there.

If every Independent IT "Consultant" could do that... I fully agree with to your code. It should become a standard!

Sorry Chip, but you lost me in the first paragraph with your statement that you do not believe there are absolutes of right and wrong. I'm cannot even imagine that you would thing that statement was relevant to the premise of your article. I believe this concept of moral relativity is one of the reasons this country is in the shape it's in today. Having said that; I would also say one of the great things about this country is that you have the absolute right to say what you like without fear, but accepting the consequences of your actions and statements.

Thank you for this, it has a number of excellent points. However, I don't see anything about the customer subtly expecting you to go along with their ethics breaches. Too many customers have illegal software and really don't appreciate your telling them they need to buy several hundred or thousand's of dollars to get licensed. Or what about inadverdently finding child porn on someone's computer.

For example "I promise to do my best to protect your property and trade secrets from exposure or damage. I will also inform you of any unethical or illegal activity I may find on your systems and work with you to remediate it as soon as possible."

Obviously you would never agree to do anything unethical
for your client, but just how far do you
take the role of insuring that your client's
behavior is ethical? Are you their
conscience?

Of course. If a client asks me to do something unethical I try to drop them as a client ASAP. If they ask me to cheat someone else they are probably going to try to cheat me.
How far I take my ethics is of course a personal decision. I don't go browsing through .jpeg's or other files when I am working on a machine and I don't ask a client to show me all their licenses unless they have hired me to do an audit of some type. BUT, if I need to reinstall Office and ask for the CD and then find out they have used it for 10 workstations, then the ethics issue arises. Or if I happen to see a folder called "Kiddie Porn" on someone's desktop then I feel some duty to address this.
With a "published" ethics statement" that refers to this I think it would be easier to handle.
The question is how do you word it in your ethics statement?

You have to develope a 6th sense about who not to work for.

And a total goof you can play on your solid clients:

To wit: All my clients like and are interested in Windows Vista, but I dare not take them there. Windows XP works for their business software. Case closed?

I have one or two clients who have a sense of humor, and if you have some, and they can take a ribbing...

There exists a Vista "upgrade" product that lays the visual look, sounds and feel of Vista OVER the XP operating system and so far (and I am using it on this very computer I am writing on) shows no slow down effect at all.

Totally cute. And if you feel brave enough to make an account gasp and chuckle a bit, let me recommend it.

I've written several ethics statements and critted others, for both working organisations and for professional orgs. Your list is excellent advice, and I like to think I follow these. They tend to form the basis of much of the advice in good texts on consulting. I started with Weinberg - I couldn't have done better. So honest, so cutting, so funny, so right!

The ethics example I most remember was when I worked in a scientific government org, and some go-getter in HQ had written an ethics statement which was all about obeying the rules and being loyal to the organisation. Silly stuff, really, and at least half of it was already covered by regulation or law, your "legal commitment". So as a researcher, I researched ethics, both in theory and in practice. (I reported my finding, making suggestions, and she shelved the project.)

I found that most practical ethics statements, or codes of conduct, are designed to protect the *profession*, not specifically the client. This applies particularly to the the ones we are most familar with, such as lawyers and doctors. They're designed to chuck out bad eggs, blatant rogues who exploit their clients, but also to protect the consultant against the sort of bad luck that does happen. So a number of the codes are based on attitudes to other consultants' work, and not obviously exploiting the client (beyond current industry accepted standards, of course - that is acceptable to the profession).

On the way, the client does get some protection of course, but the gist of the ethics is as I state above.

As I said above, your ideas are excellent, but most of them don't really fit in a code of ethics or conduct for the profession, which already has been sullied by the legal and medical professions, among others.

Instead, I've often seen these sorts of statements listed in an informal Bill of Rights between the client and the consultant (the most memorable being a project manager's bill of rights). It establishes what you expect from the client, and what the client should expect from you.

"... your ideas are excellent, but most of
them don't really fit in a code of ethics or
conduct for the profession..."

Could you give some examples of ethical rules
that better fit your definition?

# I won't overcharge the client, eg for work which was not done by me.

# I won't charge rates which are well below industry standards. [This is to maintain a 'reasonable' expectation of rates, and often ignores the common situation of loss leaders.]

# I won't badmouth other consultants or their work. [BTW, this is almost always counter-productive in my experience, but doctors treat this so seriously they hide the mistakes of others (or bury them).]

# I won't try to steal clients from other consultants.