Standardisation in Standards

Abstract

The following observations are offered by one who has served on national and international standards-writing committees and standards review committees. Service on working groups consists of either updating previous standards or developing new standards. The process of writing either type of document proceeds along similar lines. The first order of business is to recognise the need for developing or updating a standard and to identify the potential user community. It is also necessary to ensure that there is a required number of members willing to do the writing. A justification is required as to why a new standard should be developed, and this is written as a new work item proposal or a project initiation notification system form. This document must be filed officially and approved, and a search is then undertaken to ensure that the proposed new standard will not duplicate a standard that has already been published or is underway in another standards organisation. The development of this new standard usually follows the sequence of the items as they appear in nearly all standards. Sections (or Clauses) such as the title, introduction, scope and purpose are composed, and the remainder of the document's content is written. The process of writing requires consensus, or agreement, among the working group, and further, agreement and consent of the subgroup and the standards committee governing body. The final version of the standard is circulated for comment and voting followed by approval and publication. The author must admit that this description was written from memory and may contain some inaccuracies.