In his keynote address to the Standards Engineering Society's (SES) annual conference in 2000, Dr. Mark Hurwitz, CAE, ANSI President and CEO, discussed the beginning of a National Standards Strategy (NSS):

"A group was formed, with participation open to all sectors -- industry, government, trade associations, professional societies, and others. The group recognized that standardization and conformity assessment activities have contributed directly to pervasive globalization of the marketplace. As a result, the U.S. needed to make thoughtful choices in what to harmonize, and how to harmonize standards on a global basis...."

According to Hurwitz, "the source of a standard is far less important than the fact that the standard is 'good,' and not just mediocre.

His list of attributes for a 'good' worldwide standard included:

• Practical to Implement
• Efficient in Operation and Results
• Compatible with Other Standards
• An Effective Solution to Problems
• Timely
• Widely Adopted and Implemented

Hurwitz continues, "For the U.S. to effectively pursue 'good standardization,' we must present a strong, determined and united front, advocating public and economic value standards and providing a leading voice in setting those standards globally."

Dr. Hurwitz then quoted Stephen P. Oksala of the Unisys Corporation (Mr. Oksala chairs ANSI's National Issues Committee and leads NSS development initiatives):

"Steve commented recently, 'Our strategy is not a rigid recipe for process -- a top-down plan for doing all standards -- a 'best way to do things.' Instead, it is a set of principles which, when implemented in the U.S. and internationally, will result in the best standards for a global world. Our 'strategy' is to make every effort to see that these principles are implemented as fully as possible at all levels of standardization.'"

The "principles" of the NSS can be summarized as follows:

1. Decisions will be reached through a CONSENSUS of those affected
2. Participation will be OPEN to all affected interests
3. There must be a BALANCE among competing interests
4. The process is TRANSPARENT
5. DUE PROCESS will assure that all views are considered and that appeals are possible
6. The process must be FLEXIBLE, allowing the use of different methodologies to meet the needs of different technology and product sectors
7. The process must be TIMELY. Real attention (must be) given to the avoidance of delays caused by purely administrative matters
8. Standards activities must be COHERENT, thereby avoiding overlap or conflict.

Go to Are Engineering Standards Developed Fast Enough?
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Go to "Good" Guides And Standards