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Key takeaways

• Standards organizations seek more ideas and talent.
• Involvement in standards creation puts you ahead of the curve.
• Open up relationships with industry leaders.

Every device, system, or application we touch at work and home is designed and enabled around standards. Who comes up with these standards? They are formulated by technology or domain specialists, many either working on a volunteer basis or through their companies, committed to advancing the capabilities of their chosen technology areas in an ever-changing economy.

Many of the standards bodies that coalesce and hammer out common standards are always looking for interested professionals willing to contribute their time and insights. In turn, they provide a great way to expand one's network and knowledge, working collaboratively to scrutinize technology problems and develop common solutions.

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The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), long known to be an engineering-driven organization, is actively looking to broaden its depth in artificial intelligence, robotics, human-brain interfaces, and even human rights by encouraging more input from a wider constituency of developers and nontechnical subject matter experts. "Once upon a time we had mainly engineers," said Gilles Thonet, deputy secretary-general for IEC. "Now we're seeing ethicists, social scientists, and legal experts joining in the standardization work."

The career advantages to being active in a standards organization cannot be overstated. "If the standard or specification you're working on is relevant to your employer's future plans or your career path, you'll gain advance knowledge of what it will eventually become, which may be strategically beneficial," said Thomas Erl, CEO of Arcitura Education Inc and author of numerous books on technology standards and patterns.

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"My work with standards bodies has had a noticeable impact on my career," said Nik Kale, principal engineer and product architect with Cisco Systems, who has been involved with a number of security standards organizations. "It broadens your perspective, exposes you to approaches that other organizations are testing, and keeps you ahead of the curve rather than reacting to it. It also builds trust because people see that you are contributing to something larger than your own role."

Kale works with the Coalition for Secure AI (CoSAI), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Involvement in the IEEE "made my career," said Karen Panetta, professor and dean at Tufts University and IEEE Fellow. "It provided me access to experts and a front-row seat for all emerging technologies."

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Standards bodies are often organized by working groups in which professionals can directly apply their specific knowledge and interests. Heather Bassett, M.D., chief medical officer for Xsolis, has been contributing her experience with her company's AI model cards and governance experience through an AI working group for NCQA. "I've been able to contribute from a position of experience, sharing what has worked, what hasn't, and how organizations can operationalize trustworthy AI in real clinical settings."

Learning leadership skills

Involvement with standards bodies can also help develop one's leadership skills. Scott Debow, principal at Avetta, is a long-standing member of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), serving a dual leadership role as both director-at-large and a trustee of its charitable arm, the ASSP foundation. "My involvement with ASSP has been a very special piece of my career," he said.

Early in his career, Debow was a safety technician "in an era where safety was thought of in terms of claims management. I didn't have a strong professional development system, and I wasn't being taught about guidelines." With his involvement with ASSP, he had the opportunity to learn about and apply new standards, eventually teaching them to others in his industry. "Applying these voluntary standards resulted in the region I worked in exceeding its safety metrics in a noticeable way and showed me just how meaningful they are. Now, I'm able to not only help develop these standards, but guide clients through them."

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Thomas Coughlin, president of Coughlin Associates, IEEE Life Fellow, and 2024 IEEE president, also credits his association with IEEE with fine-tuning his leadership abilities. "It has allowed me to create a number of long-time relationships with people I have met in the IEEE, some of whom I have found work with," he said. "IEEE has helped me stay current in my profession and expand my capabilities beyond my initial training. To me, IEEE is a community of technological professionals who help each other stay current, develop leadership skills, and work together to make this a better world today and for our descendants."

Getting involved

Here are some considerations to joining a standards organization:

1. See if your employer is already involved -- or urge your employer to get involved. Some standards bodies are composed of participating companies seeking to create common ground on which to build their markets. Many have tiered membership plans, from corporate to individual. If your employer is already a member, you can usually create an account under their membership, Erl advised. "If not, your company may need to join first."
2. Bring a passion to the project. Working with standards organizations isn't for everyone. "I remember the first time I attended an in-person technical committee meeting for a new proposed reference model," said Erl. "There was much talk about semantics and highly technical details. You need to have a real passion for what the proposed specification is about or what it will be used for in order to really enjoy this level of detailed collaboration."
3. Think long-term -- it can turn out to be a career-defining journey. Coughlin found IEEE resources in every city he moved to in his career. "I joined the IEEE initially as a graduate student," said Coughlin. "I had a B.S. in Physics and joined the IEEE in order to get a discount to attend an IEEE conference. I continued my membership after I graduated and participated in IEEE conferences and local IEEE events, first in the Minneapolis area and, after moving to Boston, then Silicon Valley."
4. Review any legal implications. As standards organizations are public bodies, any developments need to be clear of any intellectual property issues. "You, or your employer, will need to sign some form of participation agreement that is all about intellectual property rights," said Erl. "This is to ensure that your contributions can be used by others without patent disputes. You should definitely review these agreements before signing, especially if you're already active in the same industry as the committee."

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Other leading information technology standards bodies include:

• American National Standards Institute (ANSI): Coordinates technical standards within the United States.
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM): Now an international voluntary standards organization that develops and produces technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services.
• Object Management Group (OMG): International standards development and interoperability organization.

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