Grandma’s cookbook looks old, it has been used a hundred times. Some loose pages are recipes cut out from newspapers or magazines. There are also text marks, highlighted parts, paper clips identifying the most important passages. Several of the original ingredients have been crossed out and replaced by new ones. In other cases, quantities have been changed to better suit the taste of the family. A little more butter here, a little less sugar there. Grandma’s cookbook has evolved, into an unique collection of knowledge. If a cookbook could be seen as a standard for cooking, then grandma’s cookbook would be a great standard. A standard that has evolved, developed over decades.

And that is an important characteristic for any great standard: It should evolve, develop and aggregate improvements over time.