Who will standardise the standardisers: an analysis of the evolution of the standards-making process

For many years, there have been a number of different bodies producing standards—formal standards bodies, collaborative organisations and industrial consortia. Each process has its own advantages and disadvantages. More recently, there have been considerable efforts made to bring these processes together and to optimise the standards-making process for the benefit of standards-makers, industry and the end-user. This paper describes the various means by which standards are currently produced, examines their advantages and disadvantages and discusses how they are converging. It also indicates the likely results of this convergence.