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The software engineering body of knowledge is an all-inclusive term that describes the sum of knowledge within the profession of software engineering. Since it is usually not possible to put the full body of knowledge of even an emerging discipline, such as software engineering, into a single document, there is a need for a Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge. This Guide will seek to identify and describe that subset of the body of knowledge that is generally accepted, even though software engineers must be knowledgeable not only in software engineering, but also, of course, in other related disciplines.

"Generally accepted" means that the knowledge and practices described are applicable to most projects most of the time, and that there is widespread consensus about their value and usefulness. "Generally accepted" does not mean that the knowledge and practices described are or should be applied uniformly on all projects; the project management team is always responsible for determining what is appropriate for any given project. '

Software engineers must not only be knowledgeable in what is specific to their discipline, but they also, of course, have to know a lot more. The goal of this initiative is not, however, to inventory everything that software engineers should know, but to identify what forms the core of software engineering. It is the responsibility of other organizations and initiatives involved in the licensing and certification of professionals and the development of accreditation criteria and curricula to define what a software engineer must know outside software engineering. We believe that a very clear distinction must be made between the software engineering body of knowledge and the contents of software engineering curricula. (www.swebok.org)