Empowered and embedded: ethics and agile processes

Software's pervasive influence on daily life necessitates a renewed focus on ethical considerations within software development. The blurring lines between digital and analog worlds underscore the ethical implications of software design, impacting user behavior intentionally or unintentionally. This concern is heightened by opaque features that obscure how software influences choices, prompting debate around paternalism within areas like persuasive technology and ubiquitous computing. However, these ethical discussions extend beyond mere user experience; they involve broader questions of the "good life." A structural analysis, examining cooperative practices in various sectors (doctor-patient, business-buyer, etc.), helps contextualize digital products as socio-technical systems, recognizing both their technological and societal dimensions. The paper emphasizes the importance of analyzing "techno-generic values"—the values embedded within the software itself—subjecting them to a normative evaluation. This necessitates ethical deliberation, encompassing descriptive value identification, evaluative assessments of specific instances, and decision-making to conclude inquiries. The authors acknowledge the value-sensitive design approach, focusing on the normative claims embedded within digital artifacts. However, the paper aims to address the lack of clarity on how, when, and by whom ethical reflections and design decisions should be implemented within software development. The central argument posits that integrating ethical considerations into established agile processes can create a culture of ethical software development. The paper's primary objective is to highlight the suitability of agile processes for incorporating ethical deliberation.

The paper reviews existing approaches to ethical considerations in software development, such as technology assessments and ethical technology assessments (e.g., VDI 3780 standard, Palm and Hansson's eTA). It highlights the growing importance of integrating ethicists into development teams, as advocated by McLennan et al. (2020). The authors note the limitations of codes of conduct, which serve as a starting point for ethical deliberations but lack mechanisms for weighing conflicting values or applying ethical rules to diverse contexts. The review also touches upon value-sensitive design, ethics by design, and values in design approaches, emphasizing their opposition to technological determinism and the importance of considering embedded values and their moral consequences. The authors critique Principlism in ethics, arguing it lacks the practical tools needed for effective integration into development workflows. The paper further analyzes the role of virtue ethics, suggesting that fostering techno-moral virtues (honesty, self-control, empathy, etc.) in developers and users can lead to better outcomes. Existing frameworks, such as ECCOLA, are discussed, acknowledging their contribution while highlighting the gap in defining procedural aspects of ethical deliberation.

The paper employs a qualitative methodology, primarily built upon philosophical arguments and existing literature on software engineering, ethics, and agile methodologies. The authors analyze existing agile processes (particularly Scrum), highlighting the features that facilitate ethical considerations. Their approach is grounded in rationality theory, combining descriptive-sociological analysis with normative evaluations. The paper doesn't present empirical data from surveys or experiments but instead constructs its argument by logically connecting agile development practices with philosophical frameworks of ethical deliberation. It explores the potential of merging agile software development practices with ethical reasoning, leveraging existing organizational structures to integrate ethical deliberations. The analysis is built on a critical review of relevant literature, integrating insights from various fields including philosophy, software engineering, and organizational behavior. The authors use case studies and examples to illustrate their arguments, demonstrating how ethical considerations can be integrated into different stages of the agile process. The paper utilizes a systems-theoretical perspective, considering the developer as part of a larger system and emphasizing the interplay between technical and normative aspects. It focuses on the empowerment of software engineers, arguing that autonomy and responsibility are crucial for effective ethical deliberation. The paper's methodological approach involves a critical examination of existing frameworks and methodologies, identifying gaps and proposing solutions for integrating ethical considerations into agile workflows.

The core finding is that agile software development processes offer several advantageous features for incorporating ethical deliberation. The authors present five key reasons: 1) **Widespread adoption:** Agile's prevalence in the industry reduces implementation costs and promotes acceptance. 2) **Flat hierarchies and autonomy:** Agile's emphasis on self-organizing teams empowers developers, encouraging independent thinking and ethical judgment. 3) **Teamwork and participation:** Agile's focus on collaboration facilitates communication and knowledge sharing, which is essential for effective ethical discussions. 4) **Techno-ethical realism:** The iterative nature of agile development makes ethical deliberations more concrete and object-focused, facilitating realistic assessments and adjustments. 5) **Defined sprint endpoints:** The time-boxed nature of sprints provides a salient endpoint for ethical deliberations, helping avoid endless discussions and facilitating timely decision-making. The paper argues that ethical deliberation requires a shift from Principlism to a focus on fostering desirable attitudes and virtues among developers, promoting ethical decision-making as a routine part of the development process. The authors propose integrating ethical deliberation into work processes, perceiving it as a positive aspect rather than an additional burden. They suggest including normative deliberation in documentation and quality assurance, potentially extending to DevOps integration. The paper emphasizes the importance of empowering software engineers to reason normatively, combining technical skills with ethical awareness. They emphasize that ethical considerations should be present from the beginning of the software development lifecycle, influencing technical design choices and addressing ethical implications at each stage. The paper advocates for a proactive, processual ethics that strengthens an ethos of ethical engineering, fostering responsible practices within the development environment.

The paper's findings directly address the research question by demonstrating how the structural features of agile methodologies can facilitate the embedding of ethical considerations into software development. The significance of the results lies in offering a practical approach to integrating ethics, rather than simply advocating for ethical considerations in abstract terms. The authors' focus on empowering developers and utilizing existing agile structures provides a realistic pathway for implementing ethical practices within the industry. This relevance to the field is particularly timely given the increasing societal impact of software and the growing calls for ethical development practices. The integration of ethical deliberation into agile processes not only enhances the ethical outcomes of software development but also strengthens the overall effectiveness of agile teams by promoting collaboration, autonomy, and a shared sense of responsibility. By emphasizing practical implementation within existing frameworks, the paper's findings offer a tangible contribution to addressing ethical challenges in the software industry.

This paper contributes by proposing a practical approach to integrating ethical deliberation into the widespread practice of agile software development. The authors identify specific features of agile methodologies that support ethical considerations, such as empowered development teams and iterative development cycles. They emphasize the need to move beyond abstract principles towards fostering virtuous practices among software engineers. Future research should focus on empirical studies investigating the effectiveness of proposed approaches, testing different methods of integrating ethical deliberation into agile ceremonies, and examining the long-term impact on software development culture.

The study primarily relies on theoretical arguments and existing literature, lacking empirical evidence to fully support its claims. Further research is needed to investigate the practical implementation of ethical deliberation within diverse agile development contexts. The focus on agile methodologies might limit the generalizability of findings to other software development approaches. The paper largely focuses on the developer's perspective, potentially overlooking other stakeholders' ethical considerations.