The technical and the business press are full of news about standards-enabled products, but almost nobody writes about the nuts and bolts of actually creating them. But without a good process, you won't get a good standard.

Most people who create a standard setting organization have never done so before, and may not even have participated in one. Here's how to set up the technical process, from soup to nuts.

What works, and what doesn't work in standard setting? What do members do (and not do) that makes the process succeed or fail? What trends are affecting the process today? The Directors of Standards of three prominent standards organizations answer those questions, and more.

It is said that Albert Einstein once reflected that the Universe is a queerer place than you can imagine. He needn't have looked beyond earth to throw up his hands.