Best Practice: Is this the Cinderella Area of Software Engineering?

In 1999 a document entitled the "Harmonization of Professional Standards " way released for evaluation within the computing community. The document, which had been produced under the auspices of IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing), essentially provides a framework for professionalism and it covers six key areas: ethics of professional practice, established body of knowledge, education and training, professional experience, best practice and proven methodologies, and maintenance of competence. Starting in 2000 a series of activities was undertaken to promote and appraise the document and judge its applicability to the area of software engineering professionalism. A summary of these activities is provided along with major findings. Particular problems were identified in the area of best practice that has clear ramifications for educators. Recent investigations into the concepts associated with best practice are then reported and findings from selected areas are presented. Conclusions are given with recommendations for the future