The world is changing, standards are too. What does the future of standards look like?

‘Disruption’ is a word often used over the last few years in the context of the fourth industrial revolution and the disruptive changes caused by new business models and technological development.

More recently it has also applied to the massive and sudden changes caused to our lives by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have all had to adapt very quickly to new ways of working and carrying out mundane tasks such as shopping and going to the dentist.

Standards have not been immune to disruption either. While they still remain as champions of continuity and best practice, the digital world needs a new approach to standards that can meet the rapid pace of change and innovation.

BSI has been working with innovators to understand their particular goals and challenges, and how standards can play an integral part in helping society by supporting rapid technological advancement.

Out of that work has emerged two very significant and related developments; SMART standards and a new style of flexible standard – more on that later.

Standards that are Machine Applicable Readable and Transferrable (SMART standards) mark the shift from a standard as a static document to a dynamic format that can be easily transferred into a machine-readable format. This might be a CAD programme, a BIM model or an automation system.

Sectors that are heavy users of standards, such as construction, automotive and aerospace, are coming to recognize how standards that are integrated into their processes in this way can improve efficiency and make their products safer and more secure. They also allow elements of personalization and customization to come into play.

In BSI we’ve looked at how organizations use our standards and this has given us invaluable insights on how SMART standards should be structured to enrich the value they bring. By breaking standards down into sentences and clauses, they can be converted into machine-readable data items.

This will largely enhance the user experience by making it much easier to cross-reference and pull together information from multiple standards. For example, companies are increasingly using digital twins to test their products in a virtual environment, and BSI is striving to make standards compatible with this approach.

SMART standards also allow for continuous updating, in contrast to a conventional standard which is updated on a five-year cycle. A feedback loop enabled by SMART standards will allow us to improve outcomes for users on a much quicker cycle. In fact, we are already seeing self-writing standards for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) where a software patch can change underlying capabilities overnight.

SMART standards also meet the challenge of artificial intelligence (AI) used in manufacturing processes, particularly the ethical dimension, which is an area of increasing focus. For example, SMART standards can help address bias in the way a product is tested to ensure it is inclusive and takes into account the needs of different groups.

Taking the smart approach also applies to how standards are developed in the first place, with the creation of BSI Flex Standards, more snappily referred to as BSI Flex. This is a new style of standard that maintains the core principles of expert consensus, stakeholder engagement and public consultation, but can be updated rapidly to reflect new learning and new developments.

BSI Flex Standards are flexible in several ways, starting with their scope. It might not be 100% clear at the outset what needs to be covered by a standard, so the ability to flex the scope depending on what is required and how things change is built-in.

Rapid iteration is another key characteristic – the ability to produce new versions quickly as circumstances change. New versions of Flex standards can be released within very short timescales, sometimes only a few weeks. Crucially, the rate of change is market-driven.

This way of working is commonly used in software development, getting a new version of software out rapidly so it can be tested and refined in a live situation and then improved from learning. The crucial difference with standards is that they look industry-wide, rather than within an organization, resulting in a consensus view.

With that in mind, open consultation is critical to Flex standards, so as each version is released it is made publicly available and comments and suggested changes are invited from all users. Further versions of the Flex standard could be released if changes in good practice are still expected, and if the situation stabilizes, could be taken forward as a British Standard, PAS, EN or an ISO.

BSI Flex has already shown success in the digital world in developing standards to support the roll-out of CAVs. A range of standards has helped establish a common language and a consistent way of defining terms for this rapidly developing technology. The standards cover design, testing and development, safety and data management.

Returning to the disruption caused by COVID-19, BSI Flex has also proven its worth outside of the digital arena in developing guidance for safe working during the pandemic.

The Safe Working Guidelines were developed in record time, in response to the urgency of the situation and the immediate need for information. The first version was produced in June 2020, with the second and third versions following in July and August. The Flex framework provided the perfect vehicle to update guidance quickly in consultation with technical experts and other stakeholders as the UK government produced new guidance and advice. The guidelines were downloaded not just in the UK but globally as well and they are now being used as the seed document for an international standard.

The pandemic also led to the development of BSI Flex 5555 which provides minimum requirements and test methods for community face coverings.

Again, the speed of development met the urgency of the situation. Work on the standard started in late November 2020 and the first version was published a little over a month later in early January (this standard covers the masks worn wear from day-today and not medical grade PPE).

In the spirit of continuous improvement, BSI Flex itself will continue to evolve as knowledge is shared and new tools become available.

See how leading organizations have driven industry innovation and best practice by creating a standard with us.

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You can hear Ivan Salcedo (Principal, Knowledge Innovation at BSI) Katherine Hunter (Business Development Director for Knowledge Services at BSI) talk more about the future of standards, SMART standards and BSI Flex by listening to the BSI Education Podcast.