Standards are revised regularly to stay relevant, incorporating advancements in technology, evolving industry needs, and new regulatory requirements. 

As industries and technologies change, updates ensure that standards reflect the latest best practices, improve safety, and enhance quality. Revisions may also address feedback from users, clarify ambiguous language, and harmonize with international standards to facilitate global trade.

By staying up-to-date, standards help industries operate efficiently, safely, and sustainably in a constantly changing world. But what’s the best way to stay on top of the upcoming changes that affect you, and then implement them efficiently when they arrive? 

How to stay alert to changes to standards

Forewarned is forearmed: this is certainly true where standards are concerned. The more warning you have, the better your plan can be. The first thing to do is keep an eye on any developments in standards in your areas of interest by:

Participating in the development of a standard in the relevant Technical Committee, Subcommittee, Working Group or Task Group at International, European or national level

Monitoring the revision of a standard from reports provided to BSI committees doing the work or shadowing the work at International or European level

Checking the work programmes of relevant Technical Committees made available through industry and professional associations, publicly available websites or information services.

BSI members are alerted to changes to standards via the monthly Update Standards spreadsheet that arrives in their inboxes and details all the changes in the world of standards, both national and international - including any standards that have been revised.

For information on withdrawn standards, read our article Why withdrawn standards can be very useful.

Influencing the change

Once you know that the process to change a standard has started, it is useful to follow the change through the various stages of consensus building.

This allows the implications of the change to be identified at an early stage and planning for its implementation to begin. Such intelligence gathering also allows input to be provided on the proposed change as it goes through the development process.

You can provide feedback on changes to standards, as well as provide comments on drafts of new ones on the Standards Development Portal.

When should I start to implement the change?

For organizations that use standards in their activities, deciding when to start the process to implement a change can depend on a variety of factors. These factors can be considered during a gap analysis - the first step in a six-step process to implement a change, described below.

Step 1: Carry out a gap analysis

The gap analysis considers the magnitude of the change, the importance to the organization of the standard being changed, the effect of the change on existing products or services, and the impact on products or services at different stages of development. This analysis will inform the decisions, as well as the detail and formality, needed in all subsequent steps of the implementation process.

Step 2: Develop an action plan with timelines, responsibilities and costs

Based on the gap analysis and the significance of the change, an action plan can be developed. This should address what needs to be done, by whom and by when. This will inform your priorities as well as allow the required resources to be estimated.

Step 3: Inform your senior management

Senior management engagement will facilitate the implementation of the action plan. The information developed in steps 1 and 2 of the implementation process provides the key points to brief the senior leaders of your organization and gain their support.

Step 4: Update operating procedures

The gap analysis will identify what changes need to be made. These could be changes to your organization’s management system(s), product or service specifications, test methods, or organizational procedures. These could necessitate changes in procedures or documents that are controlled, such as in a Quality Management System (QMS) or other management system. Changes need to be introduced in accordance with any formal change control procedures.

Step 5: Review your training needs

The individuals who need to perform any new or revised procedures might require training in order to execute the procedures effectively.

Step 6: Update any technical documentation

In some industry sectors, the change to the operating procedures might also need to be captured in the technical documentation that describes the characteristics of the product or service, how it is produced and verified, as well as how its performance is monitored over time. 

In some instances, third party review of changes to this technical documentation will need to be addressed.

Approaching a standards change in a planned and systematic way is a chance to minimize disruption and ensure you get the very best from the revised standard. It also means you can have the time to think ‘outside the standard’, so to speak, and consider how the changes might be an important catalyst to drive innovation and competitiveness.

Discover more about BSI Membership

Become a BSI member and you’ll be joining 11,000+ organizations committed to making positive change through standards. You’ll get extra support in implementing standards via a team of research professionals and stay up to date with relevant changes to standards with a monthly spreadsheet. Your personalized Membership certificate and digital Membership badge will help your organization stand out from the competition too. And every member enjoys a 50% saving on British Standards and BSI Knowledge subscriptions, and up to 50% on other standards and subscriptions. Find out more about BSI Membership here.