Standards in a Time of Constant Change

Karen Coyle, Information Technology Specialist

1/27/2008
(Original Publish Date: 2/21/2005)

Standards have everything to do with change. They hold change in check by fixing certain parts of a technology. They also allow innovation to happen in a controlled way by creating an area of certainty around which change can happen. The process of change, however, is itself changing due to the increased rate of technology development, and this is having a profound effect on how we create and manage standards.