Some Ethical Implications of Professional Planning

The move to establish professional planning as an independent profession is dangerous because the disciplinary criteria are largely subjective in nature. This fact raises two basic ethical questions that are derived from the incompatibility of professional planning with traditional concepts of professional discipline. The engineer is responsible for implementing the plan. It is the engineers, therefore, who should lead the planning operation. Planning should be restored to its proper and logical place as a part of the total engineering process. Planning decisions must be measured against objective engineering considerations. Because of the nature of the planning process, objective considerations should prevail.