Communications of the ACM
NIST Researchers Offer Tool to Aid Standards Development, Implementation
The Framework for Analysis, Comparison, and Testing of Standards (FACTS) is a computer-aided method for developing standards that is being created by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Credit: NIST
Researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are creating the Framework for Analysis, Comparison, and Testing of Standards (FACTS), a computer-aided method for developing standards, encompassing the conceptual stage all the way through to implementation and beyond to updating and revising.
The team adapted the Zachman Framework and borrowed terminology from the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Body to develop FACTS. The approach evaluates standards in matrix format based on the variables who, what, when, where, why, and how.
From big-picture, enterprise-level views, relevant stakeholder groups answer each question, with scrutiny continuing through the actors, materials, processes, and products associated with a standard, and concluding when stakeholders answer the same questions about the application or implementation of interest.
Top-row comparisons of the scopes of standards can help in selecting the right standard for a product, while comparisons at the lower levels can "help address the complexities of implementing multiple standards," according to the researchers.
FACTS also supports standards assessment to rate their fitness for an intended purpose, as well as testing whether a specific product or process meets the requirements of a standard.
From NIST News
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Abstracts Copyright © 2013 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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