Introduction

Information and communication technology (ICT) is not just a fashionable trend soon to be forgotten.

The importance, development and application of this technology are increasingly reflected in day-to-day reality and in the management of activities in daily life, in and out of the office.

The revolution that has taken place and still is taking place in the field of telecommunications and information technology (IT) can be seen in the way people live, work, write, ask for and get information, or even think: business, education, health, social and cultural activities are some of the fields most affected by the introduction and use of these new tools called computers, e-mail and the Internet.

It is obvious that such a revolution affects and conditions the world of standardization too, forcing ISO and all the national standards bodies (NSBs) that make up its membership not only to accept this challenge, but also to get properly equipped in order to face it and to keep abreast of the times.

The decision taken by ISO to move rapidly to electronic operations – ISO Online, the ISO servers for accessing and exchanging information, the electronic balloting system and the Webstore – may be easily placed in this context.

Such a decision, however, cannot be restricted to the ISO Central Secretariat, it must necessarily be extended to all ISO member bodies, the NSBs, including those in developing countries, if they intend to maintain an effective presence in this new age and if – as the DEVCO Secretary once said – they do not want to risk missing the train to the future.

To work better and faster and to maintain contacts and relations between ISO and the developed countries are two of the main reasons why this decision has imperatively to be taken, bearing in mind that the current paper-based system, involving fax or ordinary mail, will be definitively phased out and fully replaced by an electronic one.

This explains the purpose of this Manual, which is to provide information, procedures and guidance on some practical instruments which may prove useful to the NSBs and which they need to ensure that they are properly equipped to make the most of what information and communication technology can provide to support standardization activities.

This means that functions other than standardization, e.g. systems for managing administration and sales, are not covered by this publication.

Target

This Manual is addressed to the national standards bodies of developing countries.

Objective

The objective of this Manual is:

• to create awareness of the strategic use of IT tools in the daily standardization activity of an NSB;

• to suggest the minimum set of IT tools and connectivity necessary for actively participating in the ISO system;

• to suggest the organization and working procedures needed to get the best out of the available set of IT tools and connectivity;

• to identify tasks that can be carried out more efficiently and profitably with IT support;

• to present the tools and opportunities offered by the ISO system to work and cooperate with the support of IT;

• to show actual examples of how to benefit from information services and working procedures made available by the ISO system via the Internet.

Results

With the help of this Manual, it will be possible to:

• identify the minimum set of IT tools and connectivity necessary for participating in the ISO system;

• set up the organization and working procedures needed to get the best out of the available set of IT tools and connectivity;

• use the tools and opportunities offered by the ISO system to work and cooperate with the support of IT.

Contents

1. Structure and organization of the national standards body

1.1 NSB’s structure and working units

1.2 The department(s) involved in standardization: roles and responsibilities

1.3 Tasks

2. IT infrastructure

2.1 Overview of IT development in the NSB

2.2 Working procedures and IT – A step-by-step approach

2.3 Improvements

3. IT-based activities

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Office work support

3.3 Management of national standards development activities

3.4 Participation in international standardization

3.5 Access to ISO information and participation in ISO activities via the Internet

3.6 Dissemination of information on standardization matters

4. IT-supported international standardization activity

4.1 Most effective ways of accessing information from ISO and/or other NSBs

4.2 Electronic balloting

Annexes

I. Description of the most common IT products to be used and recommendations on their use

II. Recommendations and guidelines concerning the development of a WSSN Web site

III. Summary of the directly relevant ISO services

IV. Recommended architecture of file servers for national standards bodies in developing countries

V. IT infrastructures of the national standards bodies of developing countries: results of a survey conducted by ISO/DEVPRO in the year 2000.

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