CSA standards are at work in every aspect of our lives. They touch us all, every day, affecting nearly every product or service we encounter.

For more than 85 years, Canadian Standards Association has been a leader in developing standards with a purpose to Make Standards Work for People and Business.

Consensus is the foundation of the standards development process. With it, CSA can deliver products that consistently address the needs of consumers and provide added value for users.

The following provides a snapshot of some of the key elements of the consensus standards development process at CSA.

THE BALANCED MATRIX APPROACH
To promote fairness and to capitalize on the strength and expertise of a broad range of interest groups, each committee is formed using a balanced matrix approach. The composition (matrix) of strategic steering committees and technical committees is set forth with the objective of ensuring that all stakeholder interest categories are represented in reasonable proportion.

The matrix establishes a minimum and maximum number of voting members for each interest category and provides a reasonable balance of representation on these committees. CSA employees facilitate the process by providing project management support to committee members.

REACHING A CONSENSUS
When developing a standard, CSA committee members work toward a consensus of opinion and aim for substantial agreement among the interest groups represented on the committee. The committee considers the views of all participants and develops the content by a consensus process, but not necessarily with unanimity among all committee members. When a draft standard has been agreed upon, it is submitted for public review and amended if necessary.

DEVELOPMENT STAGES
The standards development process under which CSA operates is formally documented and controlled. This process includes eight distinct stages:

• Preliminary Stage: On receipt of a request for the development of a standard an evaluation is conducted and the project is submitted for authorization.
• Proposal Stage: Public notice of intent to proceed is published and a technical committee is formed - or the project is assigned to an existing technical committee.
• Preparatory Stage: A working draft is prepared and a project schedule is established.
• Committee Stage: The technical committee or technical subcommittee, facilitated by CSA staff, develops the draft through an interactive process that typically involves a number of committee meetings
• Enquiry Stage: The draft is offered to the public for review and comment, the technical committee reaches consensus, CSA staff conduct a quality review and a pre-approval edit is completed.
• Approval Stage: The technical committee approves the technical content by letter ballot or recorded vote. A second level review verifies that standards development procedures were followed.
• Publication Stage: CSA staff conduct a final edit to verify conformity with the applicable editorial and procedural requirements and then publishes and disseminates the standard.
• Maintenance Stage: The standard is maintained with the objective of keeping it up to date and technically valid. This may include the publication of amendments, the interpretation of a standard or clause, and the systematic (five-year) review of all standards.