NU Online News Service, May 26, 2:25 p.m. EDT
LAS VEGAS–As ACORD celebrated its 40th anniversary, the organization's president and CEO, Gregory Maciag, said its goal is to keep thinking about improving how standards are developed and how people use them.
Speaking during the general session at the 2010 ACORD/LOMA Insurance Systems Forum here, Mr. Maciag discussed ACORD's journey over the years. He started with its origins, when the realization emerged that standards are important, and thus the ACORD standard form was developed. "It began with nothing more than a vision and the idea of the standard form," Mr. Maciag said.
ACORD then progressed to education and advocacy, so users could better understand new tools offered by ACORD, such as downloading information from a mainframe to a personal computer. ACORD provided workshops on automated topics, Mr. Maciag said.
He explained that ACORD eventually expanded through the 1990s to the point where its standards are now used around the globe.
"Members now think standards when they plan for the future," he said.
But developing standards for insurance, he added, is not simple because insurance is not simple.
One solution ACORD has developed, Mr. Maciag said, is a certification called the ACORD Certified Expert. ACORD graduated its first class on Monday, Mr. Maciag noted.
As people pass along ACORD knowledge, he said, they can help change the business and the tools that support it.
But as far as ACORD has come, and as far as it will go in the future, Mr. Maciag said, "The best way to begin standards is to start small."
He added, "Each small step has a limited downside, yet unlimited upside."
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