Answer to Question #190234 in Software Engineering for Revathi

Question

You have taken a job with a software user who has contracted your previous employer to develop the system for them. You discover that your company's interpretation of the requirement is different from the interpretation taken by your previous employer. Discuss what you should do such situation. You know that the cost to your current employer will increase if the ambiguities are not resolved. You have also a responsibility of confidentiality to your previous employer.

Answer 1

There is not anything unethical in the resolution of ambiguities in the software requirements. We can forward our recommendation in the diplomatic way to the current employer without breaching the confidentiality to the previous employer. If we have signed any non-discloser agreement then we should make sure that we are not going to against it.

We should check and and make a detailed report of the ambiguities, which we have discovered but we should make sure that there should not be any direct reference with our previous employer's interpretation of the requirements. We should make sure that our recommendations are genuine and authentic. We can use the last employer's interpretation as guide in the resolution.