A Framework for Standards which Support the Virtual Enterprise

Recent developments in global commerce have witnessed the advent of the virtual enterprise1. Groups of companies are forming short-term relationships to collaborate on one-off projects. Typically these enterprises form a consortium to bid for a project for which they do not have the capability of winning as individual concerns. In order that the virtual enterprise operates effectively the systems which underpin the separate enterprises must be capable of interoperation2. One means to achieving this is by the adoption of suitable international standards. This paper addresses this issue by considering the requirements placed on standards activities for the support of virtual enterprises. It then proposes a means by which current standards can be classified and scoped within an overall framework. Finally the paper considers the various approaches taken within these standards activities and proposes a strategy for future development.