International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental, international organization that develops standards, definitions, and specifications to help promote quality and compatibility in global trade. The organizations primary role is to promote the exchange of goods, services, and technologies while supporting the efforts of individual countries, states, and organizations in the continual advancement of efficiency, effectiveness, and quality in their respective
industries.
The ISO is composed of several technical committees, who are responsible for creating, maintaining, and revising the over 21,000 standards and related documents that serve as global guidelines. This includes ISO 9000, ISO 14001, ISO 18001 and a wide range of other standards, as well as related guidelines and best practices.
The ISOs history dates back to 1946, when the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA) was formed. During the 1960s, ISA was replaced by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which is the organization that exists today.
The ISOs global reach and influence makes its standards an essential element of global trade, and the organization has been instrumental in promoting the economic development of nations around the world. More than 240 national standards bodies are members of the ISO, and their combined efforts have enabled the organization to create complex and continually evolving technology standards that let companies around the world communicate in a common language.
The ISOs standardization processes are rigorous and comprehensive. Each process is typically composed of four distinct stages: standardization process, publication, critical analysis, and updates.
The standardization process is initiated by a draft document—either created in-house or proposed by one of the ISOs member countries. Once the draft is presented, designated experts review it and decide whether or not it should be further developed into a formal ISO standard.
After the document is reviewed and formally accepted as an ISO standard, it is recorded and published. During this stage, the ISO informs member countries and other interested parties about the new standard and also supplies technical assistance and guidance to help ensure that the standard is correctly implemented.
Once a standard is published, it is subject to critical analysis, whereby selected individuals are asked to review and provide feedback about the performance and effectiveness of the standard. The feedback provided by these experts is used to make any necessary adjustments, and the modified standard is then published and distributed to member countries once again.
Finally, the ISO continually monitors standards in order to ensure that they remain effective and relevant over time. As markets change and technology advances, standards may be revised to keep pace with these developments. To facilitate updates, the ISO periodically convenes meetings between technical experts to debate and decide upon any updates deemed necessary.
Throughout its history, the ISO has achieved great success in standardizing the exchange of goods, services, and technologies around the world. By streamlining and simplifying the process of international transactions, the organization has helped to facilitate global development and open up new markets to countries and organizations operating on an international scale.
