Characteristics of Productive Standards Teams

I spent most of last month in meetings with Web standards teams as they debated and hammered out drafts of Web standards related to social media, Web records management, 508 accessibility and more. And, while the topics may not sound particularly exciting, the discussions were animated and interesting and the meetings proved productive. I credit the makeup and structure of the teams for that.

Below are the characteristics the individual teams had in common and what you should emulate when forming your own teams to draft Web standards:

Subject Matter Experts

Each team included subject matter experts from within the organization. Members of the Web records management team were very familiar with how paper records are treated in the organization and were working through NARA guidelines for Web records. The 508 accessibility team included the accessibility coordinator who reviews the Web pages to ensure they are 508 compliant. Some teams included subject matter experts from the parent company and/or contractors from specialized firms already on retainer, like research and PR firms.

Non-Subject Matter Experts


A team comprised of only subject matter experts may lose perspective on standards which are crafted for use by those who are not experts on the topic. The chairperson of the Web records management team lamented that she was not an expert on the topic and felt perhaps she wasn’t suited to be on the team. In fact, the opposite was true. She was able to keep the subject matter experts from getting bogged down in minutia and made them explain what they were drafting so that it was in plain language everyone could easily understand and follow.

Cross-Representation

Each team was comprised of members to represent their various departments—specifically the viewpoints of their departments and constituents— across the organization. One member of the social media team was able to chime in with the viewpoint of researchers— and the draft was modified significantly as a result.

Willingness to Seek Additional Council

Each team was open to consulting subject matter experts who were not formally seated on the team to provide feedback on the drafts. The social media team set up meetings where representatives from the HR and Legal departments could review the drafts and suggest revisions or clarifications.

Small in Makeup


Small groups are ideal for collaborating on standards. The trick is to actually keep the team small while also including subject matter experts and ensuring cross-representation from within the organization. The majority of the standards teams I worked with included four to six members though I have seen teams work successfully with more than 10 members.

Topic Specific

Standards teams should be created for a narrow focus. That is, they should be concerned with creating standards related to a specific topic.  The teams I recently worked with were specific and focused: a social media team, a 508 accessibility team, a Web records management team, etc. Even broader, yet focused assignments will do; I’ve also worked with teams designated for Web design, Information Organization, Web Infrastructure and more.

So, be sure to take these characteristics into account when forming the Web standards teams in your organization. Who knows, you may even find they apply to any type of team or committee.