Standards

What is a Standard?

A standard acts as a basis for comparison or reference point against which something can be evaluated. It can contain both quantitative and qualitative criteria or requirements.

For a standard to become widely recognised and acknowledged as a mark of excellence, it needs to be developed through a broad consensus building process involving all relevant stakeholders, and those for which it has been created accept to be measured by it.

The HAP Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management Standard (2007) was developed following principles of international standard development, which include:

Standard development through a process of broad consensus
Adoption of the standard by a recognised body
The Standard addresses a recognised need

There are various types of standards, most designed to measure excellence as follows:

Product specifications: usually measuring the final outcome or deliverables.
Process specifications: usually measuring the methodology used so as to obtain a stated result, including the management of activities that lead to the stated result.

The HAP Standard goes beyond these, as it seeks to measure:

Accountability and quality commitments made by an aid agency and as specified in their accountability framework – the product.
Quality Management System – the processes used by the aid agency to achieve the commitments made.
Quality of Service – as defined by disaster survivors, affected communities, partners, aid practitioners and other specified stakeholders.

In order to achieve certification, an agency will demonstrate that it meets the 6 benchmarks and 19 requirements in the HAP Standard. These cover the three areas mentioned above, with specific attention to continual improvement.