ASAE Handbook of Professional Practices in Association Management, 3rd Edition

Chapter NineteenStandard Setting

Dorothy I. Mitstifer, PhD

Standard setting is a huge field of practice in the United States, and it opens doors for global enterprise. Standards are all around us. They include codes of ethics, definitions of practice and management in a particular field, requirements for sporting equipment, technical standards for manufactured goods, and criteria for admission into some exclusive organizations. Standards are the reason we can buy a light bulb and it fits a “standard socket.” Standards level the playing field, eliminating proprietary approaches for any product that has to work with another product.

Standard setting is important in determining how well performance requirements are met. Standards are guideposts ...