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Laura Hitchcock
The Boeing Company |
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“Standards committees offer one of the richest professional development environments anywhere... There are few other places besides the standards setting environment where you get to interact with your competition, your customers, regulatory and government agencies, and consumers.” |
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Who is your current employer and what is your current position? |
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I am the senior standards specialist responsible for external standards management, strategy and policy enterprise-wide for the Boeing Company. |
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Where did you obtain your undergraduate/ graduate degree(s) and in what fields? |
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I graduated with a B.S. in English with minors in history and foreign languages from Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa. I went on to pursue additional education in human factors engineering/ergonomics at The Pennsylvania State University and the University of West Florida. |
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When and why did you become involved in ASTM International? |
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I have worked with ASTM standards for my entire professional life - the organization is one of the key developers of standards for the aerospace industry. Whether we're talking about aviation fuels, the composition of critical materials such as steel, aluminum and other alloys, important testing procedures, or some of the newer standards for unmanned air vehicles, ASTM International plays a major role in codifying the critical data required for the design, manufacture, and operation of aerospace products. |
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In which committees are you active? Are you a committee officer; if so, what group or groups? |
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I am somewhat unusual in that I'm not a subject matter expert in any one technical domain such as metals, corrosion, or nondestructive test methods, and I do not participate directly on any of ASTM's technical committees. Rather, my skills lie in the management of entire standards systems, in understanding how standards enable the core business of my company and my industry, and in developing and articulating standards strategies that will have a profound impact on the quality, safety, and cost of our products. Consequently, I work closely with the more than 100 Boeing employees who do participate on those committees. It's exciting to be in an oversight role as it gives me a chance to seed the wide variety of ASTM standards used in the aerospace arena and to help our technical experts develop standards strategies about how to utilize and leverage our participation in ASTM committees.
Because of my broad experience with standards and standards systems, I was lucky enough to have been selected to serve on the ASTM Board of Directors from 2001 to 2003. Having worked with a number of standards developing organizations, I can honestly say that ASTM's reputation as a premier developer of globally relevant standards is the result of a crackerjack staff working in close harmony with some of the highest caliber technical experts found anywhere. I am also pleased to work closely with ASTM on our industry's Strategic Standardization Forum for Aerospace where ASTM is one of the key standards developers represented on the forum Steering Committee. |
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How do you apply ASTM standards in your work? |
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The technical data contained in ASTM standards becomes part of what we call our product definition data (all the critical data necessary to define and describe our aerospace products) as well as our production data (the data and processes necessary to manufacture our products). Aircraft are certified by regulatory agencies or government customers based on compliance to product definition data and the production data, and standards form the single largest source of this technical data. |
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Apart from using standards, are there advantages to participating in standards development? |
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Standards committees offer one of the richest professional development environments anywhere. The ability to work with technical experts from throughout an industry or across multiple industries offers incredible opportunities for learning, mentoring and networking. The exchange of technical knowledge as well as the insights into how other companies are dealing with technical issues is invaluable. |
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What are some of your favorite aspects of your job? |
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People. Anyone who thinks that standards are just dry technical documents has never truly worked with standards. Standards are all about communicating and working together. Bringing together technical experts from around the world to work towards a consensus agreement on the best set of technical requirements or data is exciting. Standards form a common language for enabling business, so the people involved in standards are predisposed to cooperating. There are few other places besides the standards setting environment where you get to interact with your competition, your customers, regulatory and government agencies, and consumers. I've made some incredible working friendships throughout the world that have served me well, time and time again, in the course of my job. |
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Are there advantages that you can identify that result from having an understanding of standards? |
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To understand standards is to understand the technical requirements and processes needed to support an industry or a company's products and services. A subject matter expert, by understanding and utilizing standards, is better able to evaluate, communicate and incorporate the data needed to produce safe, reliable, quality products. However, by looking beyond the "what" contained in standards to the "why" for a standard, in terms of value and priorities for an industry or a company, you can begin to see all kinds of valuable connections. Because standards are fundamental to all parts of a product's lifecycle (from design through recycle), the more connections you understand, the more you are able to leverage standards to your company's advantage. And the ability to understand the business side of standards is a skill that industry is looking for more and more these days. |
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Are there any words of wisdom that you can offer to professionals starting out in your field? |
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Jump in with both feet! If you work in a technical area, become familiar with the standards that codify the technical requirements of your subject and understand how your company or industry uses them. Then join one of the technical committees developing and maintaining those standards. The knowledge you will gain through the standardization process and through association with other technical experts on the committee will make you a better professional.
If the idea of shaping and influencing the overall standards setting environment and of developing standards strategies appeals to you, again, there's no substitute for doing. Familiarize yourself with as many different standards setting organizations as possible, and begin to understand the national, regional, and international standards arenas. Most standards developers, such as ASTM, offer training in the standards setting process. Take advantage of courses on standards and standards management offered by organizations such as the American National Standards Institution or the Standards Engineering Society. Seek involvement in the governing or policy setting body of a standards developer (such as ASTM's Committee on Technical Committee Operations (COTCO)). And if your company has an organization or a person working to strategically manage standards, begin to work closely with them or even join them.
The world of standards is a complex, ever changing, but always exciting one. It takes a long time to truly understand it, but only a short time to begin to know enough to start making a difference. Whether you become involved in standards to support your regular job, or you make standards and strategic standardization your full-time vocation, participation in standards setting and working with the technical experts and professionals brought together by organizations such as ASTM can enrich and enhance your career.
2006
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