STANDARDS LEAD THE WAY, MEASUREMENT IS ASSESSMENT, QUALITY IS TRUST

STANDARDS LEAD THE WAY, MEASUREMENT IS ASSESSMENT, QUALITY IS TRUST

Standards, measurements and quality must be seen by organizations and businesses as a lever to enhance their competitiveness and create prestige for them instead of a cost of compliance.

Philosophy of standards, measurement and quality

Standards, measurement and quality (SMQ) are related to a country’s perspective on development, governance and innovation. Based on the perspective of development, governance and innovation of the Party and the State, SMQ must be implemented.

SMQ must make organizations and enterprises see this as a lever to enhance their competitiveness and create prestige for them instead of compliance costs.

SMQ lead the way. It is a means to lead and pull enterprises, guide enterprises, guide the country. SMQ is not only a technical framework, but also play a role in orienting the development of technology, products and markets. Wherever a country wants to go, it uses SMQ to lead the country there. Standards are the floor, must be based on Vietnamese practice to issue. SMQ is the peak, is what must be progressed towards, need to rely on international SMQ to issue. Managing this field requires both near-sighted and far-sighted vision.

Measurement serve evaluation, decision-making, and verification. Because Asians do not value data and are too emotional, the State must play a major role in the early stages of measurement. It is necessary to build a culture of decision-making based on data, measuring to make decisions, to improve, measuring to make the right decisions, to improve the quality of products/services, not for the State, not for compliance costs, but it is like a research and development activity. Build a reliable, easily accessible measurement ecosystem, serving all levels of decision-making, from people, businesses to the State, where the State must be first. Regulate that all public policies must have output indicators and measurement tools. Support Vietnamese enterprises to easily access international standard measurement-testing-evaluation services, at reasonable costs.

Quality creates trust. Quality includes assessment and implementation of quality management. Quality is prestige, honor and pride (emphasizing the culture of honor of Vietnamese people), is the number 1 competitive factor, is the survival of enterprises, is sustainable development, is consumer protection, balance between voluntary and compulsory, building quality must be from the first stage of product formation.

Below, when talking about standards (TC) or standardization (TCH), it means talking about standards, measurement and quality.

Core ideas on standardization

Standardization is the technical foundation for socio-economic activities, a part of the national institutional system. Standardization plays a fundamental and leading role in the industrialization and modernization process, in the national governance system and national governance capacity.

Standardization is an important tool and driving force for the development of science and technology (S&T), innovation (I&T) and digital transformation (DCT). Conversely, the development of S&T, innovation, and digital transformation will also help develop standardization.

Standardization supports and promotes high-tech innovation, high-quality development, national modernization, and the realization of the aspiration of becoming a dragon. Standardization supports and promotes Standardization.

A nation uses standards to guide itself in its desired direction of development.

Therefore, standardization must be comprehensive, covering all 5 areas of politics, economics, culture, society, environment, covering all sectors.

Industrialization is guided by the State, the market is the main force, enterprises are the center, and society actively participates.

Transforming the work of industrialization: From State leadership to balancing the State and the market, promoting socialization, expanding industrialization from industry as the main force to the entire economy, shifting from quantity to quality.

Aiming to enhance national competitiveness, promote high-quality development, based on science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, promote new development models, economic growth and improve the quality of people’s lives.

To work on standards, the first step is to create standards for the SMQ sector itself.

Wherever the national strategy is focusing, wherever the Party and State are focusing, and whatever pressing issues society has, standardization should focus on those areas. Currently, these include: double-digit growth; high-quality growth; growth based on S&T, innovation, and digital transformation; mastering strategic technologies; developing strategic industries; enhancing national competitiveness; improving the quality of life for the people; streamlining the apparatus (reducing ministries, provinces, districts, and eliminating sub-districts); resolving issues in the two highly congested cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; environmental pollution; nuclear power plants; green energy; improving national governance capacity; and training high-quality human resources.

Creating standards is to ensure they are applied in real life. Therefore, this must be measurable, and SMQ must consider this a goal of standardization.

Standardization contributes to national development, economic growth, enhancing competitiveness, and improving the quality of life for the people. Therefore, its impact must also be measurable.

Developing output indicators for all policies and measurements and making them public is a requirement of national governance.

Regarding the relationship between standards, measurement and quality

Standards (S) set requirements. Measurement (M) collects data related to standards. Quality (Q) assesses the conformity of standards and the implementation of compliance.

In fact, there is another step which is quality improvement.

If viewed from this perspective, SMQ is Plan-Do-Check-Act. Plan is creating standards. Do is to create products/services. Check is to measure, evaluate. quality management (monitoring, handling, and improvement). Thus, SMQ is a closed, continuously improving loop. Without this mindset, SMQ will never improve. Currently, SMQ is a fragmented process.

Regarding measurement. Among 3 stages measurement is probably the weakest. The infrastructure for measurement, testing, and verification is lacking and weak, especially at the local level. Measuring the effectiveness of policies is very weak, still superficial, and lacks reliable data.

There is a lack of independent evaluation activities by third parties, and there is a lack of social trust in evaluation results. Enterprises rarely use measurement to evaluate their products, but rather evaluate emotionally and subjective assessments with little data. This is a cultural Trait. To fix it, there must be a way. For example, the indicators must be intuitive, accessible, and easy to understand, such as the average waiting time for medical examinations being easier to understand than the quality of medical services. Integrate measurement into the process, into action, so that progress cannot continue without measurement. Publicize quality through measurement figures. Measurement communication aims to improve oneself, not for State management, not as a cost of compliance, but as a cost of R&D.

Regarding quality. In addition to assessing conformity, a very important step in quality is to enforce compliance with previously established quality standards (or regulations). Quality is closely related to consumers and people. Consumer’s protection must be an important content in the Quality Law. Consumers must be better protected. Enterprises must have a clear compensation mechanism if there is a fault. A collective lawsuit mechanism when there is a major quality violation. Consider having a consumer protection fund.

Quality management is quality control. Strengthen enforcement supervision, more stricter quality inspection, tighten imported goods, goods on e-commerce platforms, poor quality goods, counterfeit goods, and fake goods. The State invests in a stronger monitoring system, especially for high-risk products such as food and pharmaceuticals. E-commerce platforms must be responsible for the quality of products sold on their platform.

Strictly handle violations, increase fines to deter (tens of billions), and serious violations are subject to imprisonment. Repeated violations result in business bans, and additional penalties include revoking business licenses and publicly listing violating businesses to protect consumers

Support enterprises in complying with quality, especially small enterprises and export businesses. Support TC certification activities, product inspection, guidance, financial support, tax incentives for enterprises investing in quality control systems, sponsoring ISO and JIS certification costs for small and medium enterprises, tax deductions for quality inspection costs.

Quality is not only the quality of products and goods but also the quality of services and national governance.

Goal of standards

Double the level of TCH. The time to build a national standard is less than 12 months. Harmonizing with international standards should be even faster.

Increase the openness of standards Increase the rate of harmonization with international standards from 60% to 80%.

The relationship between standards and science and technology/innovation/digital transformation

Standardization is all activities of S&T, innovation, and digital transformation.

Building standards in strategic technology and new technology areas. Standardization in the fields of AI, quantum computing, biotechnology, IT, CNS, big data, blockchain, healthcare, new energy, high-speed rail, nuclear energy, robotics, electric vehicles, and self-driving vehicles.

Improving the quality of standards through technological innovation as standards. Increasing science and technology spending on standard research, considering standards as a part of science and technology/innovation/digital transformation. Increasing technology investment in standards work. Building shared digital platforms for standard work.

Perfecting the mechanism for converting science and technology results into standards. Perfecting the State’s assessment and support mechanism in the process of converting scientific and technological results into standards, promoting standardization in areas such as technology management and scientific and technological results assessment services.

Standardization of some priority industries

1- Industry. Standardization to consolidate the foundation for industrial development . Develop component standards, production processes, basic materials and foundational technologies. Research and apply basic and common standards. Standardization to optimize and upgrade the industry. Lead the rapid and healthy development of new products, new business models, and new occupations. Strengthen the stability of the supply chain and the overall competitiveness of industries. Promote improved quality and efficiency of new infrastructure. Standardization of new infrastructure.

2- Digital development. Standards for digital government, digital villages, digital communes, smart operation centers, smart transportation, smart cities, and smart provinces. Standards for data.

3- Innovation. Standards for technology innovation. Standards for expanding the technology frontier. Standards for innovation. Standards for incubators. Standards for innovation funds and venture capital funds.

4- Science and Technology. Standards for S&T organizations. Standards for S&T activities.

5- Green development. Develop standards for carbon neutrality. Standards for environmental protection and ecosystems. Promote the economical and efficient use of natural resources. Strengthen the standardization foundation for green production. Enhance the guiding role of standardization in green consumption.

Standards are a part of science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation.

6- Standardization of rural, urban, and social construction. Promote the development of standards in rural development. Promote the development of new-style urbanization standards. Promote standards in social administration and social governance. Strengthen standards on public safety. Promote the development of basic public service standards. Improve standards to ensure the quality of life.

7- National governance. Develop standards for national governance and standards for policy development.

Standards are a part of S&T/innovation/digital transformation.

Innovate Standardization Activities

Optimal structure. Optimize the structure between the State and the market, between mandatory and voluntary aspects, and between sectors and localities. Mutual recognition between State standards and market standards. The Standardization Committee must develop this structure for each stage. A correct structure will lead to sustainable development. Management must correctly orient the structure of their sector.

Promote businesses to develop standards. Promote and teach businesses to develop standards. Optimize the development process. Promulgate regulations on developing standards within businesses.

Integrate standards into measurement and quality. Integrate standards into the national quality infrastructure and national measurement system.

Increase the application of standards in daily life. Apply standards in purchasing. Standardize contracts and standard clauses.

Digitize all standardization activities. Digital transformation for faster, smarter, higher quality, more open, transparent, better monitoring, and to reduce the workload for officials and employees.

Integrate standards into the Ministry’s areas. Standards in scientific research, technology development, technology innovation, innovative startups, fund activities, intellectual property protection, postal activities, telecommunications, digital transformation, digital technology industry,…

Build platforms for standardization development.

Improve capacity building technical assistance for standardization, such as: National laboratories, standard libraries.

Strongly develop the standardization service industry. Standards, measurement, certification, and inspection. Standards are the arbiter, so this must be considered a special service industry. When developing business in this field, close attention must be paid to standards and professional ethics. Strengthen State training for this service industry. Strengthen the construction of a high-quality workforce and talent in the field of standardization. To do this, this service industry must be transformed into a high-quality service industry.

Create a favorable social environment for standardization. Strongly respond to World Standards Day, considering this as National Standards Day. Communication, building SMQ culture.

Improve the State’s support policies. Financial support, human resources, and rewards. Use the State budget as an orientation, but encourage socialization. SMQ is a part of S&T/innovation/digital transformation, as it promotes this field, so funding for SMQ will come from the S&T/innovation/digital transformation budget.

Improve the system of measurement, evaluate output efficiency, statistics, and survey of standardization activities.

Measurement and evaluation work. To manage, it must be measured and evaluated. There must be data on the field of standards. In April 2025, a set of criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of standardization activities must be promulgated. Conduct measurement, evaluation, and publicize the results.

Build a database on standards.

Regulations on online activities. Online connection and online reporting must be legalized. Use AI to analyze, evaluate, and warn.

Budget for surveys. Survey activities receive little attention, now they must be considered regular activities, with a regular budget, annually, for survey work.