SME Compatibility Test

These fields are not mandatory.
By providing your e-mail you also agree to be contacted by SBS in relation to your answers to the test.

Please provide the reference of the standard e.g. ISO 9001 Quality Management systems, EN 71-3 Safety of toys- Migration of certain elements, ETSI EN 319 102-1 Electronic signatures- creation and validation...

This criterion looks at drafting which leads to possible misunderstandings or unclarity regarding the purpose of the standard, target audience or relation to other standards. SMEs are not always aware of which standards apply to their businesses. For standards users, especially SMEs it is important to get clear and accurate information about the intended use of the standard, changes made to new editions of standards and their relations with other documents.

This is important to judge the relevance of a standard or how changes in a new edition may affect them. This information is often provided in the introduction and foreword of the standard (CEN and CENELEC) or an informative Annex (ETSI). In any case this information should be easily accessible and available to all potential users of the standard.

This criterion covers the scope of the standard. It should be clear and unambiguous to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

This criterion assesses whether a standard refers to another document unnecessarily when the text referred is short and could be included in the standard or when the document does not express any requirement. References to other documents when not needed may make the standard unnecessarily complicated and, in the case of not freely available standards, oblige SMEs to buy an additional document.

This criterion considers whether any requirement or defined performance level has the effect of forcing some products off the market or preventing current practices. In some cases, this could be justified because of safety or legal requirements. Nevertheless, in other cases this could create unjustified barriers for or particularly affect small and medium size producers of goods or services.

This could be because the provisions of the standard (e.g. a specific test method) favour a specific type of product over another or due to certain inherent characteristics linked to the production processes of these companies (e.g. limited economy of scale).

Irrelevant or unnecessary text includes content and informative annexes which do not add anything to the standard or are not related to the scope of the standard. This aspect is important because unnecessarily long standards may be more difficult to understand and discourage users from applying them. Although this affects all users of standards, it is particularly important for SMEs since they face more difficulties in using standards than larger companies.

Perhaps one of the most important criteria of the assessment method. It addresses the cost and difficulty associated with applying any standard, identifies whether requirements are imposed unnecessarily, whether assessment methods are reasonable, whether the standard offers simplifying options and whether the frequency of assessment is appropriate.

Standards should be written in a neutral way so that conformity can be assessed by the manufacturer or supplier itself (first party), by the user or purchaser (second party) or an independent third party. Moreover, it is necessary to be careful and ensure that the requirements do not give a privileged position to a specific party (e.g. test can only be carried out by a competitor and not an independent laboratory).

[1] The neutrality principle requires that all standards shall be written in a way such that conformity with the specified requirements can be assessed by a manufacturer or supplier (first party), a user or purchaser (second party), or an independent body (third party).

Standards need to be understandable to qualified people who may not have been directly involved in their development and may come from different environments or sectors. This criterion covers unclear drafting or use of jargon which leads to possible misunderstandings, difficulties, or to the standard being difficult to apply, but which have not been assessed in other criteria.

Technical Committees may give guidance on how to apply a specific standard, either within the standard itself or in a separate guidance document. This is particularly important for complicated standards which cannot be simplified (guidance is not designed to explain badly written text) or where there are substantial changes in the content of a standard. This aspect is particularly important for SMEs since they normally have less resources to get guidance or consultants to help them implement a specific standard.

This criterion covers adaptations which SMEs might have to make before applying a standard or a new edition of an existing standard. The main objective is to assess whether the provisions of a specific standard could trigger very complex, deep, and costly adaptations directly affecting SMEs as an attempt to limit their presence on the market. It intends to highlight unjustified and unreasonable burdens imposed by a standard, as opposed to reasonable obligations.

This criterion considers elements external to the organisation applying the standard, which are needed for the standard to come into application, such as testing laboratories able to perform tests, specific equipment or other resources.

[1] The transitional period is the period during which a new and an old version of a given standard co-exist OR during which a national and European equivalent standard co-exist. At the end of the transitional period, the old version/the national version of the standard need to be withdrawn. In the case of European Standards, a transition period for the implementation of the European standard as a national standard is always foreseen. For example, in CEN the transition period, during which users may continue using a former (possibly national) standard is by default 6 months, but a different transition period can also be decided. SMEs may need time to adjust and adapt to the provisions of the new standard, for example by changing practices, investing in new equipment, training staff or having products assessed. This criterion assesses whether the proposed period is sufficient.