Questions to answer

Q # 1 :- What is a standard or specification of a product or service?

Answer: - Product standards are designed to ensure safety, compatibility and consistency. If a
product has met a standard, it usually means that it has passed tests that demonstrate it complies
with certain safety and quality requirements. It also means that it’s compatible with existing
products and infrastructure. For example, the plug of an electrical item must fit into the local
power sockets, or a piece of printing paper should be the right size for standard printers.
In essence, a standard is an agreed way of doing something. It could be about making a product,
managing a process, delivering a service or supplying materials – standards can cover a huge
range of activities undertaken by organizations and used by their customers.
Organizations might use:
 A quality management standard to help them work more efficiently and reduce product
failures.
 An environmental management standard to help reduce environmental impacts, reduce
waste and be more sustainable.
 A health and safety standard to help reduce accidents in the workplace.
 An IT security standard to help keep sensitive information secure.
 A construction standard to help build a house.
 An energy management standard to help cut energy consumption.
 A food safety standard to help prevent food from being contaminated.
 An accessibility standard to help make buildings accessible to disabled users.

Q # 2: Is there any organization responsible for setting up standards for products or services?
Answer: - A standards organization, sometimes referred to as a standards body, is an
organization with authority to endorse official standards for given applications. Each country has
its own product standards institution to either develop or adopt standards from technologically
advanced countries of the world like; UK, USA. All these institution issue standard certificate for
a product and keep its monitoring.
Examples of standards organizations include:

 ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is the primary organization for fostering
the development of technology standards in the United States.
 ISO (The International Organization) for Standardization is an international standard-
setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations.
 The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) fosters the development of
standards that often become national and international standards.
 The BSI (British Standards Institution) is a service organization that produces standards
across a wide variety of industry sectors.
 (PSQCA) Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority is an autonomous body
subordinate to the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Government of Pakistan.
Its main objective is to regulate and enforce quality standards in Pakistan. Anything that
is certified by the PSQCA is issued the Pakistan Standards label.

Q # 3:- How to consult a standard?

Answer: - Quality standards are defined as documents that provide requirements, specifications,
guidelines, or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products,
processes, and services are fit for their purpose.

Standards provide organizations with the shared vision, understanding, procedures, and
vocabulary needed to meet the expectations of their stakeholders. Because standards present
precise descriptions and terminology, they offer an objective and authoritative basis for
organizations and consumers around the world to communicate and conduct business.
 Principles of Quality Standards

Q # 4:- Are standards also available for services as well?

Answer :- A standard for services specifies requirements that should be fulfilled by a service to
establish its fitness for purpose. The standard may provide definitions, indicators of service
quality and their levels, or specify a time period for delivery, such as the standard on handling
customer complaints.
Standards for services can help service providers and their customers, by raising the quality of
the services provided. This can be in terms of safety or improved communication between a
service provider and its customer. Service standards can also give consumers and clients more
confidence, reduce costs and open up markets for businesses.
However, the development of these standards in worldwidehas been limited. According to some
estimates, they only account for 2% of all European Union standards.

Q # 5:- Download at least one standard of any product from PS&QCA website
Answer :- I have downloaded and studied the PS 4639-2018 for Bottled Drinking Water 4th
Rev. Alternatively the link is also shared for viewing.
https://www.psqca.com.pk/cs/AGRICULTURE%20AND%20FOOD%20-%2043/PS%204639-
2018%20for%20Bottled%20Drinking%20Water%204th%20Rev..pdf