Expert or charlatan? A standard cleans up
This is the standard for experts: the real ones, not the “self-proclaimed” experts who have become legion in recent years, particularly during the covid-19 pandemic. Standard NF X50-110 “Quality in expertise – General requirements for expertise” has just been revised, a little over twenty years after it was first published in 2003. It still covers all business sectors, without exception. But it has adapted to changes in the social context, starting with the possibilities opened up by the Internet and Big Data. ” The veryfirst meeting of the AFNOR standardization committee responsible for this subject dates back toyear 2000. It was a time of health scandals, such as mad cow disease.says Patrice Huver, head of the investigation and analysis division at Naudet, and now co-chairman of the committee. The national agencies then neededa shared and recognized frame of reference, to describe the principles and requirements ofquality expertise, which would inspire confidence “.
NF X50-110: all business sectors concerned
The voluntary standard was launched three years later, and was a lasting success across all disciplines. There areseveral reasons why we‘vechangedit,” says Patrice Huver. There is, of course, the evolution of society, with a series of controversies surrounding experts on TV shows. We call them experts, and we can see that this creates an echo chamber for our customers.èother media and the general public. There’s also the evolution of thetechnical and scientific environment , dazzling. Internet a amenThanks to a formidable knowledge-sharing system, all information, whether erroneous or excellent, is available in a matter of minutes. For someoneForsomeone like me, who carries out industrial appraisals for insurers, the datanow available on the Internet, such as satellite images, have profoundly changed theway we dobusiness.exercise. All this was still unthinkable in 2003. ” NF X50-110 is a process standard,” adds Patrice Huver. In certain respects, it can be linked to the quality management standard. ISO 9001. It has was revised in 2015 with significant changes in terminology. So it was important for us to evolve too. “The updating process is customary in standardization, enabling voluntary standards to keep pace with the market. In 2024, ISO 9001 is once again being updated.
Third reason for revision: it was important for the committee to point out that X50-110 applies to all fields, not just construction and civil engineering, as some may have thought. ” We’ve clarified the notion ofexpert,individual or collective expertise, and the scope ofthe standard, tomake it clear that the standard is a general one,” continues Patrice Huver. A clarification and adaptation, therefore, rather than a revolution. The review of the X50-110 is a reflection of those who hold the pen: serious, nuanced, thoughtful. ” The standard has provedsufficiently robust to beembedded in the processesoforganizations such as the Centre Technique du Bois et de l’Ameublement (Technical Centre for Wood and Furnishings) and national health agencies.Anses in particular. It does notIt wasn‘t a question of reinventing everything, but of evolving intelligently,” comments Patrice Huver. At the heart of the text is Chapter 7, which concentrates on the points to be respected, from planning to control of the delivered product.
At Anses (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail), Sylvie Loisel is head of cross-functional projects in support of expertise and co-chair of the AFNOR commission. She indicates that the agency relies on NF X50-110 on a daily basis. We work onexpertise in assessing health risks linked tofood, theenvironment and the workplace, as well as animal health and welfare and plant health, as part of a ” One Health” dynamic . “(“one health”). NF X 50-110 is used as an industry standard to help control the critical points of business processes.We’re always looking for ways to improve ourexpertise, whileadaptingitin response to the context, issues, risks and stakeholder expectations specific to the agency “, she explains.
An ethical framework for dealing with uncertainty
This standard enables us to avoid thepitfallsof theimplicit andtheinformal,” continues Sylvie Loisel. In our business, the need to trust in theexpertise of others is a key factor.is essential. It starts fromès the formulation of the request: have we understood the question correctly, and is it relevant and possible to rephrase it? In addition, theAnsesformally appoints experts to its teams according toestablished criteria,ensuring competence and preventing any conflict of interest.interest. At the end of the chain, we must also make sure that we deliver an expertise that is accurate and comprehensible to risk managers and, where appropriate, to other stakeholders.other stakeholders.
Sylvie Loisel insists that the standard also enables expertise organizations to work more effectively both internally and with their partners. It‘s a valuable tool for theorganization thatadopts it,insofar astheexpert lays down therules of the game, whichheundertakes to respect, and makes them public,” she explains. NF X50-110 is ananchoring point, helping experts to deal with the “new world”.uncertainty, an essential factor in our business. Expertise usually means a complex situation, with a lot of work to be done.This is theuncertainty for which theanalysis of data using professional judgment. It is therefore essential to control the risks associated with the emission ofThis is the only way to ensurethat a judgment is made within a deontological framework. “For Sylvie Loisel, as for others, the revision of the standard is therefore extremely valuable. Want to find out more? Take part in an AFNOR members’ conference on the subject on May 28, 2024. Register for remote participation here.
