What is Standardisation? (Q1)
Standardisation is a framework of agreements to which all individuals in an industry or organisation must follow to make sure that all processes are performed within set guidelines. This is commonly called process standardisation.
Another form of standardisation is in the area of business processes. Typically, companies have detailed process documentation that ensures that the quality of their product or service is the same throughout their organisation.
McDonaldâs is a good example of how a large corporation has
standardised processes . When McDonaldâs opens a new
restaurant they carefully replicate the standardised concept, including
standardised processes. The manager of the new restaurant will never consider
âbuilding from scratchâ because there is a process that achieves results the
company is happy with. The same applies to new employee training and
products.
Aspects of Businesses Standardisation Can Affect:
Manufacturing businesses
Businesses engaged in manufacturing processes often form agreements that ensure that the products they produce meet the same specifications as other businesses in the industry. The standardisation may cover products sold in one location, nationally or internationally.
For example, manufacturers of LED and LCD television follow certain product standardisation rules that ensure that the products sold in the market have similar features. The standards cover specifications such as screen resolution and size, inputs (HDMI port, USB ports, etc.), internet connectivity, etc. The standards are modified with continuous advancements in technology.
Standardisation among manufacturing businesses ensures that customers get similar products regardless of the manufacturer or geographical location of the store where customers buy from.
Product marketing
Standardising products that are available in various areas or countries ensures that customers receive the same product or service regardless of where they buy it. This applies to big brands that customers are already very familiar with, where any change in the product would likely be noticed immediately. One example of a company that uses this form of standardisation is Coca-Cola.
Companies that operate globally also standardise their advertising, maintaining a uniform design theme across the different markets as a way of reinforcing its brand image among its audience. The same design theme and color scheme are applied even when the product packaging is presented in a different language.
Data
Data standardisation is the process of transforming data taken from different sources and various formats into a consistent format. Standardising data fixes inconsistent punctuation, acronyms, non-alphanumeric characters, and values in the wrong fields. Any differences in data formats, rules and collection methods could result in misrepresentations, introducing systematic analytics errors that can negatively affect your businessâs success.
Customers
One of the benefits that customers can get from standardisation is increased compatibility between products. For example, when communication gadgets and services are standardised, consumers can share information across a large number of people who are not limited by a specific service or product for example Apple and Microsoft systems or Amazon or Google products.
Also, consumers can match up the components of a system in a way that fits their specific preferences. However, standardisation can also sometimes affect consumers. For one, it means that options will be limited for consumers. Also, standardisation may limit producers from providing more value.
