Standardization
Encyclopedia
Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards.
The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers (commoditization
), compatibility
, interoperability
, safety
, repeatability
, or quality.
In social sciences
, including economics
, the idea of standardization is close to the solution for a coordination problem, a situation in which all parties can realize mutual gains, but only by making mutually consistent decisions. Standardization is defined as best technical application consentual wisdom inclusive of processes for selection in making appropriate choices for ratification
coupled with consistent decisions for maintaining obtained standards. This view includes the case of "spontaneous standardization processes", to produce de facto standard
s.
, standard test method
, standard definition
, standard procedure (or practice), etc.
The existence of a published standard does not necessarily imply that it is useful or correct. Just because an item is stamped with a standard number does not, by itself, indicate that the item is fit for any particular use. The people who use the item or service (engineers, trade unions, etc.) or specify it (building codes, government, industry, etc.) have the responsibility to consider the available standards, specify the correct one, enforce compliance, and use the item correctly. Validation of suitability is necessary.
Standardization is implemented greatly when companies release new products to market. Compatibility is important for products to be successful; many devices coming out have USB, Ethernet
, or other standard types of connection. This allows consumers to use their new items along with what they already own.
By using standardization, groups can easily communicate through the set guidelines, in order to maintain focus. The method is made to facilitate processes and tasks; this is why it interlocks with lean manufacturing
.
In the context of social criticism and social sciences
, standardization often means the process of establishing standards of various kinds and improving efficiency to handle people, their interactions, cases, and so forth. Examples include formalization of judicial procedure in court, and establishing uniform criteria for diagnosing mental disease. Standardization in this sense is often discussed along with (or synonymously to) such large-scale social changes as modernization, bureaucratization, homogenization, and centralization of society.
In the context of business information exchanges, standardization refers to the process of developing data exchange standards for specific business processes using specific syntaxes. These standards are usually developed in voluntary consensus standards bodies such as the United Nations Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT
), the World Wide Web Consortium W3C, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), and the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS
).
In the context of customer service
, standardization refers to the process of developing an international standard that enables organizations to focus their attention on delivering excellence in customer service, whilst at the same time providing recognition of success through a 3rd Party organization, such as British Standards Institution (BSI). The International Customer Service Standard (TICSS) has been developed by The International Customer Service Institute
(TICSI) with the objective of making it the cornerstone global standard of customer service. This standard has the status of an independent standard, managed by The International Customer Service Institute
.
Standards can be:
In general, each country or economy has a single recognized National Standards Body (NSB). Examples include ABNT, ANSI
, AENOR, AFNOR, BSI
, DGN
, DIN
, IRAM
, JISC
, KATS, SABS
, SAC
, SCC
, SIS
, SNZ. An NSB is likely the sole member from that economy in ISO
.
NSBs may be either public or private sector organizations, or combinations of the two. For example, the three NSBs of Canada, Mexico and the United States are respectively the Standards Council of Canada (SCC
), the General Bureau of Standards (Dirección General de Normas, DGN), and the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI). SCC is a Canadian Crown Corporation, DGN is a governmental agency within the Mexican Ministry of Economy, and ANSI and AENOR are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with members from both the private and public sectors. The determinates of whether an NSB for a particular economy is a public or private sector body may include the historical and traditional roles that the private sector fills in public affairs in that economy or the development stage of that economy.
Many specifications that govern the operation and interaction of devices and software on the Internet
are in use. To preserve the word "standard" as the domain of relatively disinterested bodies such as ISO, the W3C, for example, publishes "Recommendations", and the IETF publishes "Requests for Comments
" (RFCs). These publications are sometimes referred to as being standards. Drafts and working documents should not be considered as formal published standards.
In a military context, standardization can be defined as:
The development and implementation of concepts, doctrines, procedures and designs to achieve and maintain the required levels of compatibility
, interchangeability
or commonality
in the operational, procedural, material, technical and administrative fields to attain interoperability.
Note: there are at least four levels of standardization: compatibility
, interchangeability
, commonality
and reference
. These standardization processes create compatibility, similarity, measurement and symbol standards. Standardisation in the context of supplies and materials management it covers the aspect of, any item of no use in the company must not be bought or made. The make or buy also outlines the standardisation process, where bolts can be used, screws might substitute the bolts so finally that is a standard approach.
The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers (commoditization
Commoditization
Commoditization is the process by which goods that have economic value and are distinguishable in terms of attributes end up becoming simple commodities in the eyes of the market or consumers. It is the movement of a market from differentiated to undifferentiated price competition and from...
), compatibility
Compatibility
Compatibility may refer to:* Astrological compatibility* Compatibilism – a philosophical position* Compatibility * Compatibility * Compatibility * Electromagnetic compatibility* Interpersonal compatibility-Computing:...
, interoperability
Interoperability
Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
, safety
Safety
Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
, repeatability
Repeatability
Repeatability or test-retest reliability is the variation in measurements if they would have been taken by a single person or instrument on the same item and under the same conditions. A less-than-perfect test-retest reliability causes test-retest variability. Such variability can be caused by, for...
, or quality.
In social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, including economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, the idea of standardization is close to the solution for a coordination problem, a situation in which all parties can realize mutual gains, but only by making mutually consistent decisions. Standardization is defined as best technical application consentual wisdom inclusive of processes for selection in making appropriate choices for ratification
Ratification
Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent where the agent lacked authority to legally bind the principal. The term applies to private contract law, international treaties, and constitutionals in federations such as the United States and Canada.- Private law :In contract law, the...
coupled with consistent decisions for maintaining obtained standards. This view includes the case of "spontaneous standardization processes", to produce de facto standard
De facto standard
A de facto standard is a custom, convention, product, or system that has achieved a dominant position by public acceptance or market forces...
s.
Usage
Standardization is the process of establishing a technical standard, which could be a standard specificationSpecification (technical standard)
A specification is an explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, product, or service. Should a material, product or service fail to meet one or more of the applicable specifications, it may be referred to as being out of specification;the abbreviation OOS may also be used...
, standard test method
Test method
A test method is a definitive procedure that produces a test result.A test can be considered as technical operation that consists of determination of one or more characteristics of a given product, process or service according to a specified procedure. Often a test is part of an experiment.The test...
, standard definition
Definition
A definition is a passage that explains the meaning of a term , or a type of thing. The term to be defined is the definiendum. A term may have many different senses or meanings...
, standard procedure (or practice), etc.
The existence of a published standard does not necessarily imply that it is useful or correct. Just because an item is stamped with a standard number does not, by itself, indicate that the item is fit for any particular use. The people who use the item or service (engineers, trade unions, etc.) or specify it (building codes, government, industry, etc.) have the responsibility to consider the available standards, specify the correct one, enforce compliance, and use the item correctly. Validation of suitability is necessary.
Standardization is implemented greatly when companies release new products to market. Compatibility is important for products to be successful; many devices coming out have USB, Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
, or other standard types of connection. This allows consumers to use their new items along with what they already own.
By using standardization, groups can easily communicate through the set guidelines, in order to maintain focus. The method is made to facilitate processes and tasks; this is why it interlocks with lean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, often simply, "Lean," is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination...
.
In the context of social criticism and social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, standardization often means the process of establishing standards of various kinds and improving efficiency to handle people, their interactions, cases, and so forth. Examples include formalization of judicial procedure in court, and establishing uniform criteria for diagnosing mental disease. Standardization in this sense is often discussed along with (or synonymously to) such large-scale social changes as modernization, bureaucratization, homogenization, and centralization of society.
In the context of business information exchanges, standardization refers to the process of developing data exchange standards for specific business processes using specific syntaxes. These standards are usually developed in voluntary consensus standards bodies such as the United Nations Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT
UN/CEFACT
UN/CEFACT is an organisation that makes international EDI Electronic Data Interchange standards for electronic trade documents in XML format.- UN/CEFACT History, A UN mission to support trade:...
), the World Wide Web Consortium W3C, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), and the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS
OASIS (organization)
The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards is a global consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of e-business and web service standards...
).
In the context of customer service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
, standardization refers to the process of developing an international standard that enables organizations to focus their attention on delivering excellence in customer service, whilst at the same time providing recognition of success through a 3rd Party organization, such as British Standards Institution (BSI). The International Customer Service Standard (TICSS) has been developed by The International Customer Service Institute
The International Customer Service Institute
The International Customer Service Institute is an international organisation enabling the recognition and sharing of global best practice in customer service...
(TICSI) with the objective of making it the cornerstone global standard of customer service. This standard has the status of an independent standard, managed by The International Customer Service Institute
The International Customer Service Institute
The International Customer Service Institute is an international organisation enabling the recognition and sharing of global best practice in customer service...
.
Standards can be:
- de facto standardDe facto standardA de facto standard is a custom, convention, product, or system that has achieved a dominant position by public acceptance or market forces...
s which means they are followed by informal convention or dominant usage. - de jureDe jureDe jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
standards which are part of legally binding contracts, laws or regulations. - Voluntary standards which are published and available for people to consider for use
In general, each country or economy has a single recognized National Standards Body (NSB). Examples include ABNT, ANSI
American National Standards Institute
The American National Standards Institute is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international...
, AENOR, AFNOR, BSI
BSI Group
BSI Group, also known in its home market as the British Standards Institution , is a multinational business services provider whose principal activity is the production of standards and the supply of standards-related services.- History :...
, DGN
DGN
DGN is the name used for CAD file formats supported by Bentley Systems' MicroStation and Intergraph's Interactive Graphics Design System CAD programs.There are two versions of DGN:...
, DIN
Din
DIN or Din or din can have several meanings:* A din is a loud noise.* Dīn, an Arabic term meaning "religion" or "way of life".* Din is one of the ten aspects of the Ein Sof in Kabbalah ....
, IRAM
Instituto Argentino de Normalización y Certificación
The Argentine Normalization and Certification Institute is the International Organization for Standardization member body for Argentina....
, JISC
Japanese Industrial Standards Committee
The is a standards organization and is the International Organization for Standardization member body for Japan. It is also a member of the International Electrotechnical Commission.The JISC establishes and maintains the Japanese Industrial Standards....
, KATS, SABS
South African Bureau of Standards
The South African Bureau of Standards is a South African statutory body that was established in terms of the Standards Act, 1945 and continues to operate in terms of the latest edition of the Standards Act, 2008 The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) is a South African statutory body that...
, SAC
Standardization Administration of China
The Standardization Administration of China is the Standards organization authorized by the State Council of China to exercise administrative responsibilities by undertaking unified management, supervision and overall coordination of standardization work in China...
, SCC
Standards Council of Canada
- About the SCC :The Standards Council of Canada is a federal Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective voluntary standardization. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the Standards Council has a 15-member governing Council and a staff of approximately 90...
, SIS
Swedish Standards Institute
SIS, Swedish Standards Institute, is an independent organization, founded in 1922, with members from the private and public sector.-Activities:...
, SNZ. An NSB is likely the sole member from that economy in ISO
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
.
NSBs may be either public or private sector organizations, or combinations of the two. For example, the three NSBs of Canada, Mexico and the United States are respectively the Standards Council of Canada (SCC
Standards Council of Canada
- About the SCC :The Standards Council of Canada is a federal Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective voluntary standardization. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the Standards Council has a 15-member governing Council and a staff of approximately 90...
), the General Bureau of Standards (Dirección General de Normas, DGN), and the American National Standards Institute
American National Standards Institute
The American National Standards Institute is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international...
(ANSI). SCC is a Canadian Crown Corporation, DGN is a governmental agency within the Mexican Ministry of Economy, and ANSI and AENOR are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with members from both the private and public sectors. The determinates of whether an NSB for a particular economy is a public or private sector body may include the historical and traditional roles that the private sector fills in public affairs in that economy or the development stage of that economy.
Many specifications that govern the operation and interaction of devices and software on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
are in use. To preserve the word "standard" as the domain of relatively disinterested bodies such as ISO, the W3C, for example, publishes "Recommendations", and the IETF publishes "Requests for Comments
Request for Comments
In computer network engineering, a Request for Comments is a memorandum published by the Internet Engineering Task Force describing methods, behaviors, research, or innovations applicable to the working of the Internet and Internet-connected systems.Through the Internet Society, engineers and...
" (RFCs). These publications are sometimes referred to as being standards. Drafts and working documents should not be considered as formal published standards.
In a military context, standardization can be defined as:
The development and implementation of concepts, doctrines, procedures and designs to achieve and maintain the required levels of compatibility
Compatibility
Compatibility may refer to:* Astrological compatibility* Compatibilism – a philosophical position* Compatibility * Compatibility * Compatibility * Electromagnetic compatibility* Interpersonal compatibility-Computing:...
, interchangeability
Interchangeability
Interchangeability can refer to:*Interchangeability : A condition in which exist two or more items with characteristics making them equivalent in performance and durability, making them fully exchangeable....
or commonality
Commonality
Aviation commonality describes the economic and logistic benefits of operating a standardized fleet of aircraft that share common parts, training requirements, or other characteristics. Commonality lowers the cost of operating a fleet of aircraft by reducing the quantity and variety of spare parts...
in the operational, procedural, material, technical and administrative fields to attain interoperability.
Note: there are at least four levels of standardization: compatibility
Compatibility
Compatibility may refer to:* Astrological compatibility* Compatibilism – a philosophical position* Compatibility * Compatibility * Compatibility * Electromagnetic compatibility* Interpersonal compatibility-Computing:...
, interchangeability
Interchangeability
Interchangeability can refer to:*Interchangeability : A condition in which exist two or more items with characteristics making them equivalent in performance and durability, making them fully exchangeable....
, commonality
Commonality
Aviation commonality describes the economic and logistic benefits of operating a standardized fleet of aircraft that share common parts, training requirements, or other characteristics. Commonality lowers the cost of operating a fleet of aircraft by reducing the quantity and variety of spare parts...
and reference
Reference
Reference is derived from Middle English referren, from Middle French rèférer, from Latin referre, "to carry back", formed from the prefix re- and ferre, "to bear"...
. These standardization processes create compatibility, similarity, measurement and symbol standards. Standardisation in the context of supplies and materials management it covers the aspect of, any item of no use in the company must not be bought or made. The make or buy also outlines the standardisation process, where bolts can be used, screws might substitute the bolts so finally that is a standard approach.
Techniques
There are typically four different techniques for standardization- Simplification or variety control
- Codification
- Value engineeringValue engineeringValue engineering is a systematic method to improve the "value" of goods or products and services by using an examination of function. Value, as defined, is the ratio of function to cost. Value can therefore be increased by either improving the function or reducing the cost...
- Statistical process controlStatistical process controlStatistical process control is the application of statistical methods to the monitoring and control of a process to ensure that it operates at its full potential to produce conforming product. Under SPC, a process behaves predictably to produce as much conforming product as possible with the least...
Other uses
- In statisticsStatisticsStatistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
, standardization refers to conversion to standard scoreStandard scoreIn statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
s. - In test theoryTest theoryIn experimental physics, a test theory tells experimenters how to perform particular comparisons between specific theories or classes of theory....
, standardization refers to measurements or assessments conducted under exact, specified, and repeatable conditions. - In supply chain managementSupply chain managementSupply chain management is the management of a network of interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate provision of product and service packages required by end customers...
, standardization refers to approaches for increasing commonality of either part, process, product or procurementProcurementProcurement is the acquisition of goods or services. It is favourable that the goods/services are appropriate and that they are procured at the best possible cost to meet the needs of the purchaser in terms of quality and quantity, time, and location...
. Such change will enable delayed making of manufacturingManufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
or procurement decisions, thus reducing variability found in having many non-standard components. - From a New institutional economicsNew institutional economicsNew institutional economics is an economic perspective that attempts to extend economics by focusing on the social and legal norms and rules that underlie economic activity.-Overview:...
point of view, standardization process starts with a social problem known as "coordination dilemma". Standards, as "voluntary norms", serve to facilitate the resolution of coordination dilemmasCoordination gameIn game theory, coordination games are a class of games with multiple pure strategy Nash equilibria in which players choose the same or corresponding strategies...
and realize mutual gains; then standard refer also to a kind of social dilemma solution.
Types
Types of standardization process:- Emergence as de facto standardDe facto standardA de facto standard is a custom, convention, product, or system that has achieved a dominant position by public acceptance or market forces...
: traditionTraditionA tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
, market domination, etc. - Written by a Standards organizationStandards organizationA standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization , or standards setting organization is any organization whose primary activities are developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpreting, or otherwise producing technical standards that are...
:- in a closed consensus process: Restricted membership and often having formal procedures for due-process among voting members
- in a full consensus process: usually open to all interested and qualified parties and with formal procedures for due-process considerations.
- Written by a government or regulatory body
- Written by a corporation, union, trade association, etc.
See also
- 7.62×51 NATO rifle cartridge
- ASTM
- CommodityCommodityIn economics, a commodity is the generic term for any marketable item produced to satisfy wants or needs. Economic commodities comprise goods and services....
- Conformity assessmentConformity assessmentConformity assessment, also known as compliance assessment , , , is any activity to determine, directly or indirectly, that a process, product, or service meets relevant technical standards and fulfills relevant requirements....
- Embrace, extend and extinguishEmbrace, extend and extinguish"Embrace, extend and extinguish," also known as "Embrace, extend and exterminate," is a phrase that the U.S. Department of Justice found was used internally by Microsoft to describe its strategy for entering product categories involving widely used standards, extending those standards with...
- Environmental standardEnvironmental standardAn environmental standard is a policy guideline that regulates the effect of human activity upon the environment. Standards may specify a desired state or limit alterations An environmental standard is a policy guideline that regulates the effect of human activity upon the environment. Standards...
- International Classification for StandardsInternational Classification for StandardsInternational Classification for Standards is an international classification system for technical standards. It is designed to cover every economic sector and virtually every activity of the humankind where technical standards may be used....
(ICS) - International standardInternational standardInternational standards are standards developed by international standards organizations. International standards are available for consideration and use, worldwide...
- InteroperabilityInteroperabilityInteroperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
- Network effectNetwork effectIn economics and business, a network effect is the effect that one user of a good or service has on the value of that product to other people. When network effect is present, the value of a product or service is dependent on the number of others using it.The classic example is the telephone...
- Open formatOpen formatAn open file format is a published specification for storing digital data, usually maintained by a standards organization, which can therefore be used and implemented by anyone. For example, an open format can be implementable by both proprietary and free and open source software, using the typical...
- Open standardOpen standardAn open standard is a standard that is publicly available and has various rights to use associated with it, and may also have various properties of how it was designed . There is no single definition and interpretations vary with usage....
- Open systemOpen system (computing)Open systems are computer systems that provide some combination of interoperability, portability, and open software standards. The term was popularized in the early 1980s, mainly to describe systems based on Unix,...
- OpenDocumentOpenDocumentThe Open Document Format for Office Applications is an XML-based file format for representing electronic documents such as spreadsheets, charts, presentations and word processing documents....
- Quality infrastructureQuality infrastructureQuality infrastructure relates to all fields of metrology, standardization and testing, of quality management and conformity assessment, including certification and accreditation...
- Standard gaugeStandard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
- Standards organizationStandards organizationA standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization , or standards setting organization is any organization whose primary activities are developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpreting, or otherwise producing technical standards that are...
s - Template (disambiguation)
- Transport standards organizationsTransport standards organisationsTransportation systems are inherently distributed systems with complex information requirements. Robust modern standards for transportation data are important for the safe and efficient operation of transportation systems...
- Vendor lock-inVendor lock-inIn economics, vendor lock-in, also known as proprietary lock-in or customer lock-in, makes a customer dependent on a vendor for products and services, unable to use another vendor without substantial switching costs...
- Java Community ProcessJava Community ProcessThe Java Community Process or JCP, established in 1998, is a formalized process that allows interested parties to get involved in the definition of future versions and features of the Java platform....
- The Java Community Process(SM) Program
Further reading
- Standardization in History: A Review Essay With an Eye to the Future Andrew L. Russell