The Open Group provides a range of services to help a consortium produce an industry standard regardless of its size.  We can help with determining the right path forward, selecting specifications on which to base the standard(s), undertaking the technical editing and production, facilitating consensus and working towards international recognition of the standard if appropriate.

Our process provides management and facilitation employing our document review system that is specifically designed for collaborative document development, and consensus review and voting.  In this way, our process speeds up delivery and maximizes the input from the technical experts engaged in the standards work.

Success Stories:  Bluetooth, IBIX and UNIX®. DBIOP, CDSA

Standardization

Definition and procedures

For consortia that have an existing formal process for approval and adoption of specifications as industry standards The Open Group can manage the process and provide support services.

Consortium without a formal process for approval and adoption of industry standards, or those concerned with industry acceptance, can benefit from one of several solutions offered by The Open Group.

The Open Group can consult on the establishment of formal procedures as appropriate. Typically this involves creation of a set of technical procedures as set out in bylaws for the organization, which cover the agreed stages, timing, voting rights, procedures, etc.  It is also necessary to cover disputes and future support.

Alternatively, The Open Group can submit the proposed standard through its own approval and adoption procedures.  The resulting standard is then adopted and published by The Open Group.  Using this route, our fast-track process has been used by a number of individual organizations and consortia to submit a specification and, if proven acceptable, achieve status as an internationally recognized standard.   For example, CDSA, IBIX, DBIOP

Management - Building Consensus

The Open Group has 18 years of experience in setting up and managing the entire standards development process.  Typically this involves project management, convening the technical working group, providing the secretariat and editorial support, coordination of the standards work and liaison with the participants.  As a neutral party, The Open Group is able to handle the delicate tasks, of conducting formal reviews, voting, and issue resolution.  We also provide ongoing management for maintenance and versioning of the standard.

Building consensus involves collaboration by various people acting as individuals or representatives of their organizations with the objective of building consensus for and adoption of a standard by the community it is designed to serve.

For example, we have used our skills to manage and coordinate the combined efforts of The Open Group Base Working Group, IEEE PASC, and ISO under the aegis of the Austin Group.  This resulted in early agreement and adoption by all three organizations of the entire UNIX® set of four standards with over 4,000 pages.

Support Services

Consortia developing and managing their own standardization work can employ The Open Group's web-based document review and comment system that facilitates consensus review of documents and voting. We also undertake technical editing and publishing work.

Best Practices

The Open Group’s procedures and systems for standardization may be applied to the development of various document types, not just technical standards. One example is the creation of best practice guides that define standard, documented 'best practices' to improve the effectiveness of an organization’s operations. A recent example is the Managers Guide to Information Security.