Quality standards are developed in a thoughtful and systematic manner by experts, industry, government, and consumer representatives. The aim is to produce well-structured and objective standards of quality and specify how they will be realized reliably. Standard setting is time-consuming because each standard has to reflect best practices, be implementable for businesses to use, and take into account consumer interests.
The process often starts with a need for a standard to be recognized. This could occur in the event of high or recurrent rates of problems in an industry, confusion about procedures, or safety issues. For example, if manufacturers in different countries use different test procedures for the same product, then results cannot be compared or traded on an international basis. In such cases, it is apparent that there is a need for a common standard, a standard that brings consistency and agreement among all parties involved.
Once the need is found, a working group of specialists is established. Typically, these groups will include representatives from companies, academia, consumers, and regulators. Their task is to gather information and debate current practice, and to come to an agreement on what requirements need to be included in a new standard. Everything is monitored, from safety to environmental impact to performance and satisfaction. The aim is to ensure the standard is realistic, fair, and of value to all concerned.
Next, a working draft of the standard is produced and is distributed for public review. This is a vital step because it produces the chance for input from others who have expert knowledge, specialized information, companies, and the general public. These people will be able to clarify unclear language, show where improvements can be made, or where an idea won’t work in practice. Based on the feedback, the committee amends the draft until a final document is ready for approval.
The final version of the standard is usually approved by a standards organization, like us, national standards organizations, or occupational associations. Once the new standard is created, it is published and distributed for use by businesses and other users. However, the work does not stop there; standards also need to be kept up to date. Quality standards are reviewed and updated for relevance on a regular basis in order to ensure their ongoing effectiveness in the face of time, changing nature, and range of materials used, new technologies, and evolving customer requirements.
Experience shows that developing a quality standard is a cooperative process based on consensus. The rules are not set by any particular group or company. Instead, the process relies on consensus—finding common ground that most experts and stakeholders can agree on as the best approach. Through this cooperative process, standards can be balanced so that they are not too restrictive, stifling innovation, nor too permissive, undermining safety and reliability.
