One of ANSI’s key responsibilities as the U.S. member of ISO is accrediting U.S. Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) to serve as national mirror committees to ISO Technical Committees (TCs), Subcommittees (SCs), and Project Committees (PCs) developing standards. ANSI-accredited U.S. TAGs are comprised of relevant experts from a range of stakeholder categories who work together to develop U.S. consensus positions on activities and ballots of a specific ISO committee.
To help make U.S. participation as robust and effective as possible, ANSI has compiled these frequently asked questions for U.S. TAG members, U.S. TAG leaders, and other interested parties regarding their roles or opportunities in ISO international standards development activities. If you have additional questions, please reach out to ANSI's ISO Team at [email protected]; we'd be happy to hear from you. (For general questions about ANSI and standardization, see Standards FAQs.)
At the ISO Committee level, U.S. TAG leaders (such as the Secretary and Chair) are given direct access to ISO Committee documents and ballots. They will then share the ISO Committee documents and ballots with the U.S. TAG membership, providing additional information, U.S. TAG voting due dates, etc., as needed.
At the Working Group (WG) level, U.S. experts appointed to ISO WGs on behalf of the U.S. TAG will have direct access to those WGs’ documents and ballots.
To access ISO Committee documents and ballots, reach out to the U.S. TAG Leaders.
To access ISO Working Group (WG) documents, U.S. experts appointed to ISO WGs on behalf of the U.S. TAG in the ISO system should sign-in to the ISO Portal, click on “Documents,” and navigate to the Committee’s landing page—or click the link in the ISO Documents notification email.
To access ISO WG ballots, U.S. experts appointed to ISO WGs on behalf of the U.S. TAG should sign-in to the ISO Portal, click on "Ballots,” and search for the ballot or committee—or click the link in the ISO Ballots notification email.
At the ISO Committee level, the U.S. TAG leaders will solicit feedback and comments from the TAG members and submit the final U.S consensus positions and comments to ANSI’s ISO Team, who register all votes and comments on ISO Committee ballots on behalf of the U.S.
At the Working Group (WG) level, U.S. experts appointed to ISO WGs on behalf of the U.S. TAG are able to register their input directly on any ISO WG ballots (called “Expert” ballots or “WG Consultations”).
At the ISO Committee level, the U.S. TAG leaders will solicit feedback and comments from the U.S. TAG members. U.S. TAG members should respond by the stated TAG due dates.
At the Working Group (WG) level, U.S. experts appointed to ISO WGs on behalf of the U.S. TAG should sign-in to the ISO Portal, click on "Ballots," and search for the ballot or committee—or click the link in the ISO Ballots notification email.
U.S. TAG members interested in joining an ISO Working Group (WG) should reach out to their TAG leaders to understand the TAG's process to be approved as an ISO WG member.
U.S. TAG leaders will then submit requests to have approved TAG members added to ISO WGs to ANSI's ISOT Team. The request should include the individual’s name, email address, organization, and their ISO Stakeholder Category along with the relevant WG(s).
U.S. experts needing to update their name, email address, organization, or Working Group (WG) assignments should notify the TAG leaders, who can inform ANSI’s ISO Team of the change.
U.S. experts needing to update other information such as their salutation, address, phone number, etc., can update the information themselves by logging into the ISO Portal and clicking on their email address and then on “Preferences.”
For ISO Committee meetings, U.S. TAG leaders will survey U.S. TAG members to determine who is interested in being part of the U.S. delegation and will send in a Delegation Accreditation form to ANSI's ISO Team30 days before the meeting start date. ISOT will register the U.S. Delegation and confirm the registration with all attendees. (For access to ISO Committee meeting documents, reach out to your U.S. TAG Leaders.)
At the working Group (WG) level, U.S. experts appointed to ISO WGs on behalf of the U.S. TAG should sign-in to the ISO Portal, click on "Meetings," and search for the meeting or committee—or click the link in the ISO Ballots notification email. WG members must register themselves to WG meetings in the ISO Meetings portal.
All published ISO documents are available for purchase on the ANSI Webstore.
The informative content of all published ISO documents can be viewed on ISO's Online Browsing Platform (OBP) without having to login. Individuals can view the table of contents, terms and definitions, and other information on each standard.
Requests for ISO documents needed for TAG work should be directed to your U.S. TAG Administrator.
Questions about the rules that govern ISO Committees and the drafting of ISO documents may be answered by reviewing the ISO Directives.
Questions about proper conduct at U.S. TAG and ISO Committee meetings may be answered by reviewing the ANSI Code of Conduct and the ISO Code of Conduct.
A collection of Commonly Used Acronyms, listed alphabetically and by topic, can be found on ISOT's Resources page.
At the ISO Committee level, U.S. TAG leaders (such as the Secretary and Chair) are given direct access to ISO Committee documents and ballots. They will then share the ISO Committee documents and ballots with the U.S. TAG membership, providing additional information, U.S. TAG voting due dates, etc., as needed.
At the Working Group (WG) level, U.S. experts appointed to ISO WGs on behalf of the U.S. TAG will have direct access to those WGs’ documents and ballots.
To access ISO Committee and Working Group (WG) documents, U.S. TAG leaders registered to groups in the ISO system should sign-in to the ISO Portal, click on “Documents,” and navigate to the Committee’s landing page—or click the link in the ISO Documents notification email.
To access ISO Committee and WG ballots, U.S. TAG leaders registered to groups in the ISO system should sign-in to the ISO Portal, click on "Ballots," and search for the ballot or committee—or click the link in the ISO Ballots notification email.
At the ISO Committee level, the U.S. TAG leaders will solicit feedback and comments from the TAG members and submit the final U.S consensus positions and comments to [email protected], who registers all votes and comments on ISO Committee ballots on behalf of the U.S.
At the Working Group (WG) level, U.S. experts appointed to ISO WGs on behalf of the U.S. TAG are able to register their input directly on any ISO WG ballots (called “Expert” ballots or “WG Consultations”).
At the ISO Committee level, U.S. TAG leaders should submit all U.S. consensus positions and comments to ANSI's ISO Teamin advance of the ISO due date. Please ensure that all the questions listed in the ISO Ballots portal are answered, noting where comments are required.
At the Working Group (WG) level, U.S. experts appointed to ISO WGs on behalf of the U.S. TAG should sign-in to the ISO Portal, click on "Ballots," and search for the ballot or committee—or click the link in the ISO Ballots notification email.
U.S. experts interested in joining an ISO Working Group (WG) should reach out to their TAG Leaders to understand the TAG's process to be approved as an ISO WG member.
U.S. TAG leaders should submit requests to have approved U.S. experts added to ISO WGs to ANSI’s ISO Team. The request should include the individual’s name, email address, organization, and their ISO Stakeholder Category along with the relevant WG(s).
If a U.S. expert needs to update their name, email address, organization, or Working Group (WG) assignments, the TAG leader should inform ANSI’s ISO Team of the change.
U.S. experts needing to update other information such as their salutation, address, phone number, etc., can update the information themselves by logging into the ISO Portal and clicking on their email address and then on “Preferences.”
For ISO Committee meetings, U.S. TAG leaders should submit a Delegation Accreditation form to ANSI's ISO Teamat least 30 days before the meeting start date, noting who from the U.S. will act as the Head of Delegation (HoD).
At the Working Group (WG) level, U.S. experts appointed to ISO WGs on behalf of the U.S. TAG should sign-in to the ISO Portal, click on "Meetings," and search for the meeting or committee—or click the link in the ISO Meetings notification email. WG members must register themselves to WG meetings in the ISO Meetings portal.
All published ISO documents are available for purchase on the ANSI Webstore.
The informative content of all published ISO documents can be viewed on ISO's Online Browsing Platform (OBP) without having to login. Individuals can view the table of contents, terms and definitions, and other information on each standard.
The U.S. TAG Administrator is provided a complimentary copy of each ISO document for their committee upon publication by ANSI’s ISO Team, and they should retain those for their records.
Requests for other documents needed for TAG business should be made to ANSI's ISO Team by the U.S. TAG Administrator; they will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The U.S. TAG Administrator should specify which group will be reviewing the document and which project the requested document will be used for.
Questions about the rules that govern ISO Committees and the drafting of ISO documents may be answered by reviewing the ISO Directives.
Questions about the rules that govern U.S. TAGs may be answered by reviewing the ANSI International Procedures and the Workflows for ANSI Accredited TAG Secretaries.
Questions about proper conduct at U.S. TAG and ISO Committee meetings may be answered by reviewing the ANSI Code of Conduct and the ISO Code of Conduct.
ANSI provides free self-lead training courses for U.S. TAG Leaders.
A collection of Commonly Used Acronyms, listed alphabetically and by topic, can be found on ISOT's Resources page.
All published ISO documents are available for purchase on the ANSI Webstore.
The informative content of all published ISO documents can be viewed on ISO's Online Browsing Platform (OBP) without having to login. Individuals can view the table of contents, terms and definitions, and other information on each standard.
Companies and individuals are not eligible to join ISO as members. Each country has one organization that is the national member of ISO, and ANSI is the U.S. member.
U.S. experts’ participation in ISO’s international activities is coordinated through a U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG), which is accredited by ANSI.
For information on a U.S. TAG to an ISO Committee, interested parties should reach out to the U.S. TAG leaders, who would be able to speak to the work of the group and any requirements for participation.
Becoming a U.S. TAG member can help you (and your organization) stand above the crowd, shape the industry, build your skills, get connected to your industry, and see what’s coming.
Standards boost business, and this dedicated website can help business leaders understand the value of participation.
See ANSI’s Why Become a TAG Member brochure or reach out to ANSI’s ISO Team at [email protected] for more information.
Becoming a U.S. TAG Administrator can help you (and your organization) build your network, become a leader in your industry, get recognized, and have an impact on the standards that affect your work.
See ANSI’s Why Become a TAG Administrator brochure or reach out to ANSI’s ISO Team at [email protected] for more information.
U.S. experts’ participation in ISO’s international activities is coordinated through a U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG), and those with questions on ISO standards should reach out to that U.S. TAG’s leaders. They are in touch with the U.S. experts who helped develop the standards and may be able to answer your question or refer you to an appropriate resource.
Access ANSI’s Standards Action publication.
See the current list of U.S. TAGs to ISO Committees.
The proposal must be made to the appropriate ISO Committee. The scope of each ISO Committee can be viewed on the ISO website.
The proposal must be considered and approved by the related U.S. TAG for submission to the ISO Committee. If the U.S. is not a Participating Member of the ISO Committee, a U.S. TAG must be accredited to make the proposal.
If an ISO Committee with a relevant scope does not exist, a new ISO Committee may need to be proposed. Please reach out to ANSI’s ISO Team at [email protected] for more information.
The process to propose a new ISO Committee is outlined in the ISO Directives (clauses 1.5 and 1.6) and the ANSI International Procedures (clause 1.2).
The proposer would need to utilize the appropriate ISO form:
The proposal would need to be approved by the ANSI ISO Council (AIC) before being submitted to the appropriate group in ISO.
If you want to know more about proposing new work into ISO or have questions, please reach out to ANSI’s ISO Team at [email protected] for more information. ISOT has dedicated resources that can assist organizations in the process.
To attend an ISO Committee meeting, a U.S. expert must be part of the accredited U.S. Delegation. Reach out to the related U.S. TAG to inquire how one can become part of the U.S. Delegation.
To attend an ISO Working Group (WG) meeting, a U.S. expert must be registered as a member of that WG. Reach out to the related U.S. TAG to inquire how one can become an ISO WG member.
