Standardization: Understanding the process

Critics of the CCITT, ISO, ANSI, X3, IEEE, and other standards development organizations (SDOs) complain that the formal approach to standard setting followed by these institutions is too bureaucratic and time consuming. This article describes the key features which distinguish SDO standard setting and analyzes these features in light of recent work in political economy. Many of the features which lead to a slower process may be interpreted as an efficient institutional response to the problems posed by industry standardization. A better understanding of the motivation behind the design of formal SDOs is essential if we are to improve existing processes.