Legat, ChristophBöll, MarvinKlein, MaikeKrupka, DanielWinter, CorneliaWohlgemuth, Volker2023-11-292023-11-292023978-3-88579-731-9https://dl.gi.de/handle/20.500.12116/43133The proliferation of standards, norms and specifications across different industries poses a significant challenge to organizations trying to navigate this complex landscape. This paper addresses this challenge by identifying and discussing selected characteristics that facilitate the distinction of different publication formats such as specifications, norms, and standards. It also examines the inherent characteristics of their development process, including consensus mechanisms, levels of influence and accessibility. In addition, inherent characteristics of the development process for standards, norms and specifications is discussed. The level of consensus is identified as a critical factor, as it reflects the degree of agreement among stakeholders during the development phase. The degree of influence exerted by different organizations or bodies is examined, shedding light on the authority and influence of different publications and organizations. Accessibility is identified as another important characteristic. The study of these characteristics is a first step towards a holistic navigation mechanism for users, experts, and organizations to gain a better understanding of the diverse landscape of standards, norms, and specifications, thus enabling informed decision-making on which publications to follow, which to prioritize, and where to bring in ideas and challenges to be addressed in the context of open innovation. In addition, the results can provide guidance to standards bodies on recent shortcomings in their offerings and limitations in current models of collaboration with other standardization and research institutions.enStandardizationNormsIndustry 4.0EcosystemNavigationText/Conference Paper10.18420/inf2023_2021617-5468