ecoc-ethical-code-of-conduct

name	ecoc - Ethical Code of Conduct
description	Create a practical code of ethics for a person, team, or organization — one that handles real edge cases, not just platitudes.
output	{"format":"prose"}

Ethical Code of Conduct

Input: $ARGUMENTS

---

Step 1: Identify the Domain

Who is this code for and what do they do?

ENTITY: [Person / Team / Organization]
DOMAIN: [What they do — e.g., software development, healthcare, consulting]
SCOPE: [Internal conduct only / External-facing / Both]
AUDIENCE: [Who will read and follow this code]
POWER DYNAMICS: [Who has power over whom in this context]

---

Step 2: Surface Key Ethical Tensions

Every domain has recurring ethical friction points. Identify the top 5-7 tensions.

TENSIONS:
1. [Tension] — e.g., "Speed vs. thoroughness in code review"
2. [Tension] — e.g., "Client confidentiality vs. public safety"
3. [Tension] — e.g., "Individual recognition vs. team credit"
4. [Tension]
5. [Tension]

For each tension: Who gets hurt when this goes wrong? What does the failure mode look like?

---

Step 3: Draft Principles

For each tension, write a principle that takes a clear position. Good principles are:

• Actionable — someone can tell if they're following it
• Specific — it applies to this domain, not all of humanity
• Directional — when values conflict, it says which wins

PRINCIPLE 1: [Title]
Statement: [One sentence]
Means: [Concrete behavior this requires]
Doesn't mean: [Common misinterpretation]

PRINCIPLE 2: [Title]
Statement: [One sentence]
Means: [Concrete behavior]
Doesn't mean: [Misinterpretation]
...

Aim for 5-8 principles. More than 10 and nobody will remember them.

---

Step 4: Edge Case Testing

Test each principle against hard scenarios. If a principle gives a bad answer, revise it.

Principle	Edge Case	Result	Revision Needed?
[P1]	[Scenario where it's hard to follow]	[What happens]	[Yes/No — fix]
[P1]	[Scenario where it conflicts with another principle]	[What happens]	[Yes/No — fix]
[P2]	[Hard scenario]	[Result]	[Yes/No]

For each principle, test at least:

• A case where following it is costly
• A case where it conflicts with another principle
• A case where someone could game it

---

Step 5: Conflict Resolution Protocol

When principles conflict with each other (they will), establish priority:

HIERARCHY:
1. [Highest-priority principle — the one that wins when others conflict]
2. [Second priority]
...

ESCALATION: When principles conflict and priority isn't clear:
- Step 1: [Who decides]
- Step 2: [What information they need]
- Step 3: [How the decision is documented]

---

Step 6: Refine and Format

Produce the final code in a usable format.

CODE OF ETHICS: [Entity Name]

PURPOSE: [One sentence on why this code exists]

PRINCIPLES:

1. [TITLE]: [Statement]
   In practice: [What this looks like day-to-day]

2. [TITLE]: [Statement]
   In practice: [What this looks like]

...

WHEN PRINCIPLES CONFLICT: [Brief hierarchy or escalation process]

ENFORCEMENT: [How violations are handled — not punitive, but accountable]

REVIEW: [When and how this code gets updated]

---

Step 7: Stress Test

Final check — does this code survive contact with reality?

• Can someone new understand it in under 5 minutes?
• Does it handle the hardest case in this domain?
• Is there an escape hatch for genuinely unprecedented situations?
• Does it protect the least powerful person in the system?
• Would you follow it yourself?

---

Integration

Use with:

• /vcl -> To clarify values before codifying them
• /eth -> For deeper ethical analysis on specific tensions
• /mdr -> When a specific principle creates a moral dilemma
• /obv -> To check if the code is missing obvious failure modes