Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1367446
28 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2021 PIN approved and we had the document pub- lished in less than a year. at's an example of something where you can fast track a standard. Many standards can't be fast tracked, though. Typically, we put these onto at least a three- year timeline because developing a standard is—even though we can speed it up—a slow- moving process because there's a lot of nego- tiation that happens along the way and we are relying on volunteer support. It all comes from industry. But we've proven time and again over the years that we can take an idea and make it into a standard through industry support. Matties: One year is definitely a fast track. My understanding is the standard process is a multi-year process, depending on the stan- dard, of course. What's the typical life cycle of a committee? Rowe: It depends on the committee and the project, but many of the standards are on three- year review cycles. As a committee finishes a project, we are working toward publication and they are already working on deferred com- ments or criteria for new topics they want to include in the next revision. Matties: I would think new topics sprout out of the ongoing committee work. Rowe: Absolutely. Matties: When volunteers sign up, they're really signing up for a multi-year volunteer com- mitment, generally speaking. Or do you have volunteers who cycle in and out throughout the process? Patrick Crawford: Yes. I see a lot of main play- ers there in leadership roles usually for a long time. But we see others. Just this morning I had a call from an individual from the U.S. Army; I had no idea they wanted to become involved in materials declaration and com- pliance reporting, but they showed up on the call. I don't expect them to stick around for the 10-year life cycle of the document, but I'm glad they're there for at least a couple of meetings to lend their support. No one is expected to sign up and hang out forever. Everyone is welcome to come in and lend their support. Matties: Now, when people come into a com- mittee meeting as a guest or an observer for a meeting, what's the guideline there? Crawford: ey're open, and you can come in and observe for a couple of meetings. If you don't want to continue to contribute, that's okay. If you want to stick around for 10 years, we'd love it if you could hang out. Matties: I heard it oen during APEX EXPO about the number of emerging engineers get- ting involved in some of the committee work. Are you seeing that? Rowe: We are encouraging the IPC Emerging Engineers to get involved in standards devel- opment. eir mentors attend some commit- tee meetings with them to help them navigate through the process and break the ice by intro- ducing them to as many people as they can during a meeting or activity. is gives them a strong foundation as they move forward in their careers and encourages them to share their knowledge as well. Matties: What is a committee meeting week like? Just give us your take on what you hope to get out of a week-long session. Rowe: Meetings are oen several hours in length as groups do deep dives on content. For example, I had an 18-hour meeting this week with the task groups developing J-STD-001 Patrick Crawford