IHS White Paper:  Finding the Right Standards Management Approach

The effort to ensure consistent project completion in compliance with standards is key, though managing those standards is pertinent in maintaining fluidity. Identifying relevant standards via the standards development organizations (SDOs) web site is the initial step to ensuring successful project completion. The next step is to manage standards in an effort to maintain compliance. A key benefit of standardization is risk reduction, as consistency will ensure ease of standards usage.

This paper identifies the challenges of standards and technical specifications engineers face, of which include: obtaining the standards and managing standards and their use. The simple approach for obtaining the standards you need is visiting each SDOs website. However this paper holds the answers to engineers seeking the correct version for compliance.

Eliminate costly tasks lacking efficiency, as establishing a paper-based library consumes considerable resources, and an intranet-library can limit access and the chances of publishing incorrect versions of standards increases. A third-party managed information system considerably alleviates the bottom line, as fewer staff resources are required. Using a third-party Internet-based standards management provider allows flexible, easy standards access and addresses multiple concerns regarding standardization. Resources are preserved via a third-party, as the provider controls access and are responsible for updates. The third-part provides the user interface and searching capabilities. Users are able to search multiple SDOs from a single location and login.

A third-party managed information system provides the following:

• Facilitates increased productivity by reducing research time
• Minimizes downtime by providing the right standards and specifications all the time
• Reduces risk by having standards available all the time and increasing the likelihood that standards are used

Case studies of Pemex and BP are available in this paper. In finding the right standards management solution, this paper contains the following steps:

• Select Standards
• Engage third-party vendor
• Provide vendor with project and staff information
• Brief project staff on interface and to always use the online or print version of each required standard

IHS uses registered processes and procedures of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which provides clients with access to nearly a half million standards from over 370 SDOs along with nearly 350,000 military documents. The managed information service IHS provides to clients worldwide improves quality and productivity while assuring compliance. Managed information solutions include Specs & Standards, CyberRegs, and Reference Linking.

• Specs & Standards expands clients’ standards and subscription by providing search flexibility, user updates via e-mail, assuring access control, and the ability to make one-time purchases or expand subscriptions
• CyberRegs provide content and features not available from other resources to include: e-mail updates, change notifications, change tracking, and cross referencing
• Reference Linking provides access from client procedures to referenced standards, specifications, or regulations

Download this paper now and find out how far past “binders sitting on a shelf” managed information has come!