Operating Polices and Procedures: Engineering a Process for Standards Setting Success

David White, and John Keith

5/11/2005
(Original Publish Date: 2005)

Standards setting organizations (SSOs) structure themselves with widely varying degrees of openness and formality. Striking the proper balance between formality and informality, openness and exclusivity requires a thorough examination of a given organization’s mission, global objectives, regulatory requirements and the cultural profile of the target participants. An SSO's structure, operations and culture are defined by its bylaws, its IPR policy and its operating policies and procedures. Among this troika of documents, the policies and procedures largely define the consortium culture and govern its operations. Yet this document gets the least attention. This article describes a method for evaluating existing organizational structure and for designing policies and procedures that create the proper foundation for standards setting success for a new or existing consortium.