Nothing standard about standards

It seems like the easiest thing we could possibly agree on. Standardization is good for industry.

Even though we all seem to agree on the spirit of the standardization, the reality is not as straightforward.

The are some very practical barriers to standardization:

Human nature - standards are amazingly easy to ignore. Most of us execute our jobs the way that best works for us. We weren't hired to be robots and innovation seems to be rewarded, but both of these things work against standardization.

Rebuttal - if you can make standards less "human" driven by adding automation you can largely mitigate this. Also, don't take the "paintbrush" away from the artist.

The nature of standards - If you have ever served on a standards committee you can attest to the intense disagreements between members whose aim is the same, almost all of those disagreements, in my experience, has to do with interpretation and how to control interpretation once it is released. People working toward a common goal can still interpret things differently and that ultimately mirrors how standards behave out in the wild.

Rebuttal: So? It’s a guideline, not a prescription of how to do every task. As long as you treat it as the real world users will and not make it so prescriptive this barrier can be mitigated.

A thousand of one, or one of a thousand - Building construction is a bespoke process every time. Even if you have the same building sited hundreds of times the execution and planning will vary. Utility connection, logistics and labor differences, weather. Add that to the normal variations in design requirements and you quickly feel like everything is custom. Now imagine a standard that can guide that industry toward higher levels of productivity. Hopefully you get my point.

Rebuttal: Just because there is variation doesn't mean there are no common points. Don't treat every project like any project. Standards should apply in different ways to unique project challenges.

In summary, while the barriers to driving standards adoption and adherence are real, so is the strategy to mitigate those barriers. What's your strategy?