Standards Development for Beginners - Part 1. Roles of Committee Participants
Standards development for beginners — A guide for new committee members
Congratulations on joining a standards development committee! It is a testament to your commitment to your industry and your expertise. It is also a multi-year investment of time, effort, and attention; you will want to make the most of it. Inspired by more than 20 years of managing, chairing, and serving on standards development committees of several North American organizations, this series provides insights into the mechanics of standards development. It will help equip new members with the tools and knowledge for productive and enjoyable participation in committee meetings.
Part 1. Roles of committee participants
The development of a new standard occurs in real time during committee meetings. The meetings can take place online or in person—the latter used to be the norm, but this changed following the pandemic. All the people in the virtual or physical meeting room have a role with specific rights and responsibilities.
Project manager
The convenor of the meeting is typically a member of the standards development organization staff who is not a committee member. Project managers are often engineers or professionals otherwise familiar with the standard's topic. However, project managers employed by standards developers cannot act as technical experts on the committees they manage. In other words, they cannot contribute to the standard's technical content.
Standards organizations have different scopes for the role of a project manager (or secretary). At CSA and ASME, their role is large. It includes recruitment of new members, managing the logistics of meetings (e.g., meeting invitations and venue booking), taking notes during the meeting and circulating meeting proceedings, keeping the standard development on schedule and, finally, editing the standard prior to publication.
Project managers are also expected to use their expertise in the standards development process to moderate meetings and facilitate consensus among committee members. To this end, a project manager may offer wording to help members agree on a term.
In contrast, at ASTM, the committee chair and secretary run the meeting together, and both of these roles are sourced from members. ASTM manages meeting logistics centrally. During meetings, ASTM project managers sometimes stay in the background, ensuring the process is followed and assisting with resolving any issues.
As a member, the project manager is your main contact for everything related to standards development, from up-to-date meeting schedules to draft standards and networking with other committee members.
Members
With the exception of the project manager, all participants in the standards development process are volunteer committee members. They are invited to join the committee according to a balanced matrix, ensuring its composition reflects the industry. Members bring their expertise to the table and are expected to participate in the meetings by offering their opinions on the proposed content and wording of a standard. It is critical for a new member to speak up and participate during meetings as well as review drafts and meeting minutes and respond to communications from the project manager. Voting members are also obligated to vote on the final draft of a standard. Non-voting members do not vote on the final draft, but they can and should contribute to its development.
As a new member, get your feet wet as soon as possible by discussing, commenting, and voting before the deadline. Standards development is a very hands-on activity that would not be possible without passionate, involved committee members.
Chairperson
The chair of a standards development committee is a crucial figure that is essential for a meeting to take place. The chairperson runs the meeting with the project manager at CSA or ASME or with the help of the secretary at ASTM. The committee members elect the chair; this role is reserved for individuals recognized for their industry expertise and experience in standards development. Ideally, the chairperson and the project manager work in tandem both during and between meetings. The chair significantly influences the process and the resulting document; for example, chairs authorize new projects at ASTM. This role is so important that all standards development organizations offer training for new chairs, regardless of their overall standards development career. It is an excellent idea to take and retake this training since the role of a chair is highly nuanced.
Some committees have the role of a vice-chair with largely the same responsibilities as a chair. A vice-chair steps in if the chair is not available to attend a meeting (and avoid meeting cancellations) or, more importantly, to address negative votes from the chairperson. In addition, the vice-chair also leads discussions when the chair wants to participate actively in those discussions.
As an experienced committee member and industry veteran, a chair is a fantastic resource for new members, helping them get oriented in the standards world.