Version 3.0 of BSI Flex 236 is available for download now and is open for comment via the Standards Development Portal
You can download a DRM-free copy of this document here.
What is BSI Flex 236 Enabling the development of inclusive standards about?
BSI Flex 236 v3.0 is the third iteration of a document that helps standards' makers work with data with inclusion in mind, so that the standards produced become representative and include communities that are traditionally excluded.
Who is BSI Flex 236 Enabling the development of inclusive standards for?
- standards makers and organizations that develop standards, which might include small and medium-sized enterprises, and organizations that do not have National Standards Body status
- government and other organizations for the development of policies, procedures and regulations
What does BSI Flex 236 Enabling the development of inclusive standards cover?
It gives guidance on how data are to be used in the development of all types of standards, including data used to create standards, data used to decide which standards to develop, what to include and exclude from standards, and to inform development decision making.
BSI Flex 236 covers:
- the ways data are selected, assessed and used in standards development, including different data types and processing;
- how to deal with gaps in and/or limitations of existing data when developing inclusive standards;
- analysis of types of human bias;
- how cognitive biases can change the way data are interpreted and incorporated into decision-making processes;
- how data can introduce bias or exclusion into the standards development process; and
- the impacts of data bias or exclusion and the communities affected – this can include impacts related to protected characteristics, as well as non-protected characteristics.
What has changed?
BSI Flex 236 v3.0: 2024-04 will supersede BSI Flex 236 v2.0: 2023-06. In comparison with the previous edition, version 3:
- expands the sections that address technical, social, and cognitive bias;
- improves definitions;
- reflects evolved project aims: there is now a focus on making this version more robust with the intention of getting it to a point where it can be considered for development as a national/international standard.
