Standards Policy
Version 1.0 | This Policy was approved on 01 December 2023.
Introduction
Definitions
This document may employ terms related to the DCDR Advocacy that can be found in the TIOF terminology.
For a structure of The IO Foundation, please visit
The IO Foundation's Organizational Chart
The IO Foundation's Organizational Taxonomy
About this document
This document, hereinafter the Policy, sets out the position maintained by TIOF in matters of Standardization that you will need to be aware of while being a TIOF Member. You should familiarize yourself with it and comply with it at all times. Any questions you may have with regard to its contents or what you have to do to comply with it should be referred to your corresponding Team Human Resources Manager.
This Policy establishes The IO Foundation's standards for measurements, time and date formats, that ensure consistency, clarity and compliance across all organizational operations.
Scope
This document directly applies to:
All TIOF Members
This document indirectly applies to:
The policies set out in this document apply to all TIOF Members unless otherwise indicated. They therefore apply to Members of the Boards (Directors, Advisers, Consultants), Employees, Volunteers and Interns; this is irrespective of their engagement type. They equally apply to all Contributors and will be used as part of the selection criteria when engaging with them.
This Policy applies within all TIOF Spaces, including (although not limited to) management activities, contributions or events; it and also applies when an individual is officially representing the organization in public spaces. Examples of representing the organization include (although not limited to) using an official e-mail address, posting via any official channel or acting as an appointed representative at an event.
Review and Amendments This policy shall be reviewed regularly to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness. Amendments may be made to adapt to new legal requirements, changing circumstances or to better serve the organization's Mission.
Policy details
Standards statement
The IO Foundation is committed to adopt and enforce clear and consistent standards for measurements, time, date formats.
All members, no matter their role, must follow these policies to ensure accuracy and uniformity across all organizational operations.
Measurements
The IO Foundation adopts the Metric System as the standard for all measurements across its operations. As a result, all distances, weights, volumes and other quantitative measures must be expressed in metric units (e.g., kilometers, kilograms, liters).
Time and Date
The IO Foundation adopts the following:
Time Format
The official time zone of reference is UTC+00.
All time references must use the 24-hour military format (HH:MM, e.g., 14:30) in UTC+00 time zone, unless otherwise specified.
In cases where a different time zone is required (e.g., for specific activities or teams), the applicable time zone must be clearly documented, with conversions to UTC+00 provided for official records.
Date Format
Months follow the solar cycle, with the year starting on January 1st.
Dates must be noted in the format DD/MM/YYYY (e.g., 22/07/2025) or as the full text format "dddd mmmm yyyy" (e.g., Tuesday July 2025) for formal documentation, calendars and communications.
In certain contexts such as Filenaming, dates must be noted in the format YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2025-07-22).
Week Structure
The working week is defined as Monday through Friday, with Monday as the first day of the week.
Organizational and team-wide calendars must reflect this structure for scheduling and planning.
Reference Days
Winter Time reference: January 1st (00:00:00 UTC+0).
Summer Time reference: July 1st (00:00:00 UTC+0).
Deadlines
All deadlines are set to 00:00:00 UTC+0 on the day immediately following the specified deadline date (e.g., a deadline of July 22, 2025, expires at 00:00:00 UTC+0 on July 23, 2025).
Deadlines apply to all submissions, including expense filings, invoices and project deliverables, unless otherwise specified (in which case a clear description of the exception must be explained and approved).
Compliance
All organizational calendars, data entries and deadlines must adhere to the above time and date standards.
Any deviations (e.g., use of alternative time zones or formats) must be pre-approved and documented with reference to UTC+0 for consistency.
Temperature
All temperature measurements must be expressed in degrees Celsius (°C) for consistency and alignment with the Metric System.
Non-Celsius units (e.g., Fahrenheit), if encountered, must be converted to Celsius for all official records, reports and communications, with conversions clearly added.
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