CASRAI standards are developed by volunteer Working Groups of subject matter experts. Working Groups establish all standards by consensus within the group. Working Groups are made up representatives from research performing and funding organizations as well as other stakeholder communities.
Only Working Groups can make modifications to a proposed standard. The CASRAI Board does not have the authority to modify a proposed standard, but rather acts to oversee due diligence in the Working Group’s process.
CASRAI standards are developed in the following steps:
- A Board member, staff member, or external source submits a proposal to the CASRAI Board for a new standard,
- CASRAI identifies subject matter experts for the standard by polling the community for nominations,
- Preliminary approval of proposal: The CASRAI Board and relevant Working Groups review the proposal and consult with relevant external stakeholders,
- Initial working draft: CASRAI staff and the submitting party prepare a preliminary study and preparation of an initial working draft that reflects any international or national conventions and standards (where possible),
- The CASRAI Board performs a final review, consultation, and approval to launch a new standards track,
- A CASRAI Working Group is established,
- Working draft: The Working Group deliberates on the document to the point where a working draft is deemed ready for formal consultation and validation,
- Proposed standard: External consultation is solicited. The Working Group receives input from members of thw research administration community, revises the working draft as necessary, and creates a proposed standard,
- Official standard: The CASRAI Board reviews the process whereby the proposed standard was developed and the nature of the community responses. It then votes to accept the proposed standard as an official standard or to request further iteration in the event of concerns with the process or community acceptance,
- CASRAI staff create technical encoding of the official standard using the CASRAI XML style guide for effective application in a business IT environment,
- CASRAI releases version-controlled publications of the business and technical specifications of the new standard.
| Version of Standard | Publication/release status |
| Initial Working Draft | * On CASRAI website for information and comments * Content incomplete; may change as Working Group deliberates (documented in Working Group minutes posted on website) * Content not validated |
| Working Draft | * On CASRAI website with formal request for comment in a defined time frame * Content stable for period of consultation * Initial validation of content by Working Group |
| Proposed Standard | * On CASRAI website for information * Content reflects broader public validation and feedback |
| Official Standard | * On CASRAI website for implementation – in both a business friendly and a technical representation * Content stable until formal revision is adopted through a similar process as above |
Upgrades:
To keep standards up to date with changes in the associated business process or objectives, CASRAI periodically revises and improves official standards.
Revisions are carried out on a fixed schedule to maintain historical data quality and stability for CASRAI implementations, and to allow for ample advance notice of new versions. This allows users to choose their own time to “upgrade” to newer versions without affecting their current implementations.
All official standards, once formally approved, are assigned to a Working Group for oversight and ongoing refinement according to the published schedule. Revisions undergo a similar review and public consultation process under the management of the assigned Working Group and the oversight of the Board.