System design for an integrated document system and its impact on standards development efficiency

The development of information technology standards is slow and expensive. Spring et al. (1994) suggested electronic document development tools for improving the process. CASCADE, a system developed at the University of Pittsburgh, supports collaborative authoring. CASCADE was tested in a review of comments made on a mock ballot of POSIX 1003.21 to determine the reliability and accuracy of a parser for mail delivered comments and to gather preliminary usability data. Asynchronous electronic commenting and comment review can improve both the quality and speed of standards development.