Development Process

Learn how ASAM standards are developed.

Development Process

ASAM standards are developed and maintained within projects. The main contributors to projects are volunteer experts from its member companies, supported by the ASAM office and an optional, ASAM-funded service provider. ASAM provides the complete framework for the project group, including guidelines, templates, IT infrastructure, a project budget, administrative support and worldwide marketing.

 

Project Types

ASAM has defined different project types. Learn more about the purpose of the different types. 


READ more

The ASAM standards development process consists of four phases:

  • Phase 1: Proposal Phase
  • Phase 2: Development Phase
  • Phase 3: Review Phase
  • Phase 4: Release Phase
     

Phase 1: Proposal Phase

The purpose of the proposal phase is to transfer ideas for Standard development into a specific ASAM project proposal and to obtain a decision on the proposal.

P1 - Proposal Workshop: Proposal workshops are mandatory for new standards and major version development projects of existing standards. They shall ensure that the proposal is based upon broad consensus from ASAM members and domain experts. Participants of the workshop present to each other their ideas for the proposed project and come to an agreement in the following open discussions about the project's content. The ASAM office organizes and moderates the workshop, providing a neutral setting for the workshop. The workshop is open for members and non-members. The results of the workshops are the foundation for the project proposal.

 

P2 - Proposal Writing: The proposal author prepares the project proposal. He considers input of the preceeding proposal workshop (if available). He defines which content shall be included in the Standard, creates a project plan and estimates work efforts and a (optional) budget. He must also find a minimum of three companies (including his own), who commit work resources to the project. The ASAM office supports the proposal author.

 

P3 - Proposal Submission: The proposal author submits the project proposal to ASAM. The ASAM office carries out a formal check of the submission.

 

P4 - Proposal Publication: The ASAM office publishes the project proposal. The minimum publication period is four weeks. Members can comment the proposal and register for participation in the upcomming project.

 

P5 - Proposal Decision: The proposal is reviewed by the TSC (Technical Steering Committee). The proposal author presents his proposal to the members of the TSC and answers their questions. The TSC members then vote on whether or not to accept the proposal.

 

Phase 2: Development Phase

The purpose of the development phase is to create a new version of the Standard.
 

D1 - Development Phase: During the development phase, the actual development work, as defined in the project proposal, is carried out by the members of the project group. This requires project group members, which are technical experts in the subject matter of the project. Their role is primarily to provide requirements, develop concepts for specific features of the Standard and to review the work of the Standard author. In case that the project has no service provider who takes over the role of Standard author, then the project members also write the Standard and produce all further artifacts that shall be delivered together with the Standard.
 

There are a few rules which must be followed in an ASAM project. Each project has an elected project leader, which has the task to organize and moderate project meetings and lead the overall development efforts. Each meeting is documented via meeting minutes. The ASAM standards template and the IT infrastructure must be used. ASAM expects that all registered participants provide the work as committed in the project proposal. Otherwise, ASAM project groups have a lot of latitude to organize their work as they see fit.
 

Decision-making within the project group is consensus-driven. The project leader shall find on each topic a solution, which is agreeable for all members. However, if consensus cannot be reached, then decisions are made by an absolute majority vote, where each participating company has one vote.

 

The project's progress is controlled by the TSC. If the project deviates too much from the original project proposal (e.g. increased budget, increased time, addition or cancellation of major features), then an additional TSC approval is required.

 

Phase 3: Review Phase

The purpose of the review phase is to involve members of ASAM outside the project group to give their review feedback and to increase the overall quality and acceptance of the Standard prior to its release.

C1 - Draft Release: Public reviews are mandatory for new standards and major versions of existing standards. The project group releases a draft of the Standard, which is feature-complete and has undergone an internal review.

 

C2 - Public Draft Review: The ASAM office publishes the draft and provides an IT environment in which members can provide their comments. Members are given a minimum period of six weeks for the review (eight weeks for a new Standard). 

 

C3 - Feedback Deadline: Once the review period is over, the ASAM office removes the draft Standard from public access and makes the review comments available to the project group.

 

C4 - Feedback Processing: The project group members have the obligation to review each comment and make a decision. The project group has full authority to decide, how to handle a comment, e.g. to accept, modify, defer or reject comments, and to make corresponding changes to the Standard at their own discretion.

 

Phase 4: Release Phase

The purpose of the release phase is to obtain a release decision at ASAM and to publish the new Standard.

R1 - Candidate Release: The project group prepares a release candidate and agrees per formal voting with an absolute two-thirds majority to submit the candidate to the TSC
 
R2 - Release Candidate Review: The TSC reviews the release candidate. The minimum review period is four weeks.
 
R3 - Release Decision: During the TSC meeting, the project leader presents the release candidate to the members of the TSC and answers their questions. The TSC members then vote on whether or not to release the Standard.
 
R4 - Publication Preparation: The ASAM office prepares the Standard download, updates the web page, creates a newsletter announcement and prepares other marketing activities.
 
R5 - Publication: The ASAM office goes online with the new Standard and launches all prepared publications.

Learn more about the different Project Types
Learn more