Fast Facts and Feature
Articles about IEEE-SA Standards Development
eTip 04: The Imperative Principles
of the Standards Process
Developing standards is a quasi-legal process. Standards can be
used as evidence in a court of law, and can become legal requirements
when adopted by governments and regulatory agencies. As a standards
developer, you need to be aware of these principles so that you
can avoid breaking the law inadvertently. If you are aware of
these principles and follow them, you will be legally protected
by an umbrella of indemnification by the IEEE. The US Supreme
Court has held that standards organizations are responsible for
standards developers' actions, so these principles must be followed
carefully.
The five imperative principles that drive
the standards process are Due Process, Openness, Consensus, Balance,
and the Right of Appeal. These principles are the basis for all
the standards developed by the IEEE and its societies.
Balance: Ensuring an even playing
field
The principle of Balance becomes a focus when the draft standard
has been completed and voted on by the working group. Now the
balloting group must be formed for your standards project. Keep
in mind that the working group is independent from the balloting
group. A balloting group is formed by rules that differ from working
group rules, and the population of the balloting group usually
isn't determined until right before the ballot starts. To create
fair and successful passage of the standard, the rules concerning
balance must be followed carefully.
The main concerns of balance in the standards
development process are:
1. All materially interested and affected
parties must be invited to comment and participate. 2. Balance
is achieved by placing potential balloters into one of three common
categories-producer, user, and general interest. Additional categories
can be added when needed. No one category can be 50% or more.
3. The group must consist of a balance of a variety of interests,
without domination by any one group or company.
4. It is ideal to maintain balance throughout the development
process to facilitate the creation of the balloting group
5. Encourage participation from the beginning when forming the
working group
6. Balance is mandatory for your balloting group. A ballot cannot
start until the balloting group is balanced and approved by the
sponsor.
IEEE-SA eTips feature fast facts about
standards development to increase your knowledge of standards
development participation and enrich your membership experience.
Call for Submissions Write an article for IEEE-SA News on a variety of standards
development topics:
- Positive or challenging experiences you've had in standards
development. - Historical milestones in standards development
- Humorous or anecdotal stories concerning standards work
- The impact of standards by technical leaders and business professionals
- Why standards development is important to you, your industry,
the future, the planet. If you article is chosen, we'll give you
a prominent byline, bio, and include your photograph. Your article
will be published on the IEEE-SA website and archived afterwards.
We'll also send a nice gift for your participation.
To have your article considered for publication, attach your
article in MS Word format and send to: Colleen Crary, IEEE-SA
Program Manager, c.crary@ieee.org
