Developing and implementing norms and standards

Abstract

Capacity building needs to relate to specific norms and standards, the achievement of which is, or should be the objective of building the capacity. Putting it simplistically, it should be ascertained what activities, what services, what quality, what reliability and so on are intended should be achieved as a result of the capacity building. This chapter endeavours to address various issues including: an attempt to differentiate and define terms such as norms, standards, and parameters; in respect to what is it that norms, standards and so on are needed for and for what purpose; the types as well as ways of expressing and or measuring of norms, standards and so on that might be required for the kinds of situation envisaged by this guidebook, and whose responsibility it would be to set these; what should be taken into account when setting the standards; when uniformity might be needed, and when flexibility might be needed; the need for precedence, prioritisation and trade-offs; and some of the means of improving levels of achievement.