What is the difference between ANSI and ISO engineering ?

ANSI and ISO are both recognized and adopted by many countries around the world. Both organizations develop and promote global standards, with the main goal of facilitating international trade, improving quality, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring compatibility between products and systems across different countries and industries. However, there are significant differences between the two that impact the quality and suitability of technical writing.

Geographical Coverage:

ANSI standards are primarily applicable to the United States, while ISO standards have a global reach. This difference reflects the fact that ANSI standardization efforts are focused on meeting U.S. requirements, regulations, and specific industry needs. On the other hand, ISO engineering standards are developed and promoted by an international organization that is independent and non-governmental, providing them with a global scope.

Standards and Guidelines:

The ISO engineering standards are based on the ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems - Requirements) and ISO 9004:2015 (Quality Management Systems - Customer Focused Management), which provide guidance on quality management systems and customer satisfaction. These standards are designed to promote consistency and efficiency in engineering practices, with a focus on customer satisfaction and quality management.

ANSI standards are based on the ANSI/IEC 8164:2011 (American National Standards Institute - Information technology - Software engineering - Product requirements) and ANSI/IEC 9126:2013 (American National Standards Institute - Information technology - Software engineering - Product requirements - Guide), which provide guidelines for software engineering processes and product requirements. These standards are designed to ensure that software products meet industry standards and requirements, and are more focused on software engineering practices and product requirements.

Language Usage:

ISO engineering standards are primarily written in English, with some standards allowing for the use of other languages. On the other hand, ANSI standards are primarily written in English and some standards allow for the use of other languages.

Formatting:

ISO engineering standards follow a specific formatting style, which is based on the ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems - Requirements) and ISO 9004:2015 (Quality Management Systems - Customer Focused Management). This style is known as the "ISO format" and is widely used for technical writing.

ANSI standards do not have a specific formatting style, but they do provide guidelines for formatting and. These guidelines are not as detailed as the ISO 9001/9004 format, but they still provide a good foundation for clear and concise technical writing.

Citation Styles:

ISO engineering standards follow a specific citation style, which is based on the ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems - Requirements) and ISO 9004:2015 (Quality Management Systems - Customer Focused Management). This style is known as the "ISO citation style" and is widely used for technical writing.

ANSI standards do not have a specific citation style, but they do provide guidelines for formatting and citing information. These guidelines are not as detailed as the ISO 9001/9004 citation style, but they still provide a good foundation for clear and concise technical writing.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, ANSI and ISO are both recognized and adopted by many countries around the world. Both organizations develop and promote global standards, with the main goal of facilitating international trade, improving quality, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring compatibility between products and systems across different countries and industries. However, there are significant differences between the two that impact the quality and suitability of technical writing.

ANSI standards are based on the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidelines, which provide a foundation for clear and concise technical writing. On the other hand, ISO standards are based on the ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 guidelines, which provide more detailed guidance.