Once upon a time . . . a Standard was written.
The Standard was an attempt to solve a problem that troubled a lot of people in different ways. Writing the Standard seemed like a good way to figure out a solution in a way that would involve all the people affected, to get their buy-in to the solution since they had a hand in creating it, and to document the solution to the problem in a single place so everyone could see and understand the solution in the same way. After all, everybody likes their own ideas and solutions, and the Standard could be everyone’s “own idea and solution” all at the same time.
Once the Standard was finished everyone waited to see if the Standard would go to live on the shelf. Standards that worked well to solve real problems traveled far and wide, had many adventures, and never even knew the shelf existed. The shelf was the place where a Standard lived that was a solution to a problem that did not actually exist or addressed a real problem but in a way that did not work very well. Standards on the shelf did not even know about travel and adventures, only about dust.
But this Standard did not go to live on the shelf. It got used, and when all the requirements in the Standard were met consistently the problem actually went away. This was very exciting for all the people that were troubled by the problem. They could see a life without the problem or the trouble it caused. But in a little while, the people realized the only way they could tell if the Standard wasn’t met would be the return of the problem and the trouble it caused. Living life always waiting to see if the problem and the trouble it caused came back, did not seem very exciting. Everyone waited to see if the Standard would now go to live on the shelf. After all, the Standard alone could not solve the problem, so maybe the Standard belonged on the shelf.
But this Standard did not go to live on the shelf. Demonstrations that the Standard was fulfilled were performed to make people feel better that the Standard was met, and the problem would hardly ever trouble them. This was very exciting for all the people troubled by the problem. They could see a life that, while not perfect, would hardly ever include the problem or the trouble it caused, since a demonstration could tell them when the problem and the trouble it caused might be coming back.
But some of the demonstrations, while very fast and easy, weren’t very convincing that the Standard was met and wouldn’t tell the people when the problem and the trouble it caused were coming back. Other demonstrations were amazing for showing the Standard was met and made life look almost perfect, but they took a long time and cost a lot of money; almost perfect did not look so exciting.
None of the people wanted the Standard to go live on the shelf; they were so close! But a lot of people were troubled in different ways by the uncertainty of whether the Standard was met. A solution was needed for how to perform the demonstration that would involve all the people affected, to get their buy-in to the solution since they had a hand in creating it, and to document the solution to the problem in a single place so everyone could see it the same way. After all, everybody likes their own ideas and solutions, and the Standard could be everyone’s “own idea and solution” all at the same time.
And so . . . another Standard was written.
Solving problems is a journey, not a destination.
Standards solutions involve conformity assessment and conformity assessment solutions involve Standards.
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