Standards
what are standards?
“[A] document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context
NOTE:
Standards should be based on the consolidated results of science, technology, and experience, and aimed at the promotion of optimum community benefits.”
This is a definition that has been accepted and repeated by many standardization organizations, including in BSI's BS 0. If we were to go beyond the definition and look at standardization conceptually and theoretically, it could be said that it transcends being simple guidelines, specifications, or best practices; standardization is a knowledge management tool in its basic form.
These documents ensure that knowledge gained by practitioners is captured and made available to be the building blocks of further innovation. As previous research points out,
“Where higher education is more focused on training a new generation how to understand and use knowledge, standardization is concerned with distributing the knowledge from previous generations to ensure it is not lost. Standardization, in its purest definition, is a knowledge creation tool, a very positive tool for an economy when the participation of knowledge workers in the process is high within that economy. ”
The six generally accepted levels of standardization are listed below. The first two were not produced by his BSI, but by individual companies. A company's technical specifications are an explicit set of requirements that materials, products, or services must meet. For example, product specifications for laptops and iPods. These standards are tightly controlled by the company that created them, so they can be produced quickly. If you move the bottom graph up, you can see how long it takes to create each level. This is because it will require a broader stakeholder consensus. Private standards are private documents owned and created by an organization or company. They are used and distributed as we deem necessary or useful. A simple example of this could be a corporate branding policy or equality/health and safety policy that adds a layer to existing laws or standards tailored to the company's explicit needs.
A Publicly Available Specification (PAS) is a reference document with a development process and writing format based on the British Standard model. Any organization, association or group wishing to document standardized best practices on a particular subject can commission a PAS that is subject to the BSI approval process. The main difference is in the consensus area. British Standards require full consensus among all stakeholders on their technical content, whereas PAS invites, but does not necessarily incorporate, comments from all stakeholders. This means a shorter period of time to create a PAS, typically around 8 months.
British Standards are official standards set by the British National Standards Body, BSI. Standards are developed, where appropriate, with input from industry, experts, and other stakeholders such as consumer representatives and academia. The various types of British Standards available (specifications, codes of practice, test methods, guides, etc.) are listed in the handout table. As I mentioned in the previous slide, there are European standards bodies and international standards bodies, which create European standards and international standards, respectively. BSI, like most NSAs, adopts European and international standards, so these are also British standards (BS EN, BS ISO, etc.). In the case of European standards, we are obliged to adopt them and to stop ('hold') all work in the UK when the equivalent European work begins. So, for example, the international standard for full registration of quality management systems in the UK is BS EN ISO 9000.
standardization process
The process begins with a new work item proposal. Most work occurs within the committee, but new work can be proposed by anyone through BSI's New Proposals website.
If approved, a small expert group develops a draft standard and submits the draft to the technical committee for broader consideration. Once the committee approves the draft, it will be open for public comment. At this point, anyone can suggest changes or additions to the draft document. The public comment phase ensures that national, European, and international standards are transparent and accepted by the general public.
Once public comments have been considered and appropriate action is taken, the draft will be forwarded for final approval. At the national level, this is done by committee consensus. However, European and international standards are also subject to agreement by the member bodies of the organization. The secretary or chairman of the committee then gives approval for publication and the standard is made available to the public.
standard and innovative
Although standards and innovation are often perceived as contradictory, recent research on innovation highlights the role standards play in the commercial success of new goods and services. This paper reviews and analyzes recent literature to examine the relationship between standards and innovation. With a particular focus on the service sector, it is now recognized as the driving force of the modern economy. This relationship is complex and research in this area is currently limited. It is generally accepted that standards have a positive effect on innovation but it is recognized that standards can, on occasion, prevent innovation and reduce opportunities for further improvements. The main perspectives identified in the literature are “knowledge”, “network” and “transactional cost”. Considering standards as a channel to facilitate and diffuse innovation, a conceptual framework is proposed.
testing and certification
Tests product only
Tests for conformity with any requirements, which could be the manufacturer's own specification, product standard, or other
Issues a test report
One-off process, with no follow-up.
Any subsequent changes to the product are not covered
Accreditation to ISO 17025 for Testing Laboratories
Evaluates both the product and production process
Tests for compliance with the requirements outlined in a Certification Scheme which is based on national, regional, or international standards, together with any other requirements deemed necessary by the Scheme Owner
If successful, issues a Certificate of Conformity and grants permission to use a Certification Mark
Ongoing process to demonstrate continued conformity with the scheme's requirements
Accreditation to ISO 17065 for Certification Bodies
Comments
Post a Comment