Description of a change management release and publication process for structural metadata specifications developed by the ISA Programme

This document formalises how changes to the specifications of structural metadata developed by the ISA Programme are managed and how new releases are published. According to the definitions followed by the ISA Programme, structural metadata includes data models (e.g. the DCAT application profile for data portals in Europe) and reference data (e.g. the ADMS Controlled Vocabularies).

The proposed change management process has the following characteristics:

• Openness: In order for public administrations to rely on specifications of structural metadata developed by the ISA Programme, the openness of the change management is a key – openness is also a key assessment criterion in the Common Assessment Method of Standards and Specifications. Openness means that requests for changes can be submitted by any stakeholder and that the analysis and decisions taken are logged in a transparent manner. An open change management process improves the quality of the specification.
• Controlled change: Public administrations that use structural metadata or implement specifications of structural metadata developed by the ISA Programme must not be negatively impacted by unexpected changes to these specifications. A release schedule must be established, allowing changes to take place in a stepwise and traceable manner. New releases should also be versioned consistently.

The Change Management process is based on generic change and release management processes in ITILv3 and the generic “Process and methodology for Metadata Governance and Management”.

Nature of documentation: Official reports and studies