AF Standards Programme
Standards Development
A defined path from technical need and landscape review to consultation, decision, publication and maintenance.
Development principle
Formal standards are one possible outcome of technical work.
A proposed standard should address a clearly defined need. The process begins with the existing technical landscape, applicable obligations and available evidence; another AF publication is warranted only where it adds a legitimate and useful requirement set.
Understand the distinction
A project stage and a publication status are not the same.
A document gains normative standing through its controlled publication—not simply by reaching a drafting milestone.
Consultation is an input
A circulated draft invites relevant comment under its own arrangements. It is not a published edition and the volume of comments is not an approval vote.
Consultation contextPublication remains controlled
The issued identifier, edition, date and status identify the source to cite. Interpretation and companion tools must not silently change the published requirements.
Verify publication recordsTechnical governance
Committees provide continuity. Working groups provide focus.
Technical Committees provide continuing technical governance around defined subjects. A related committee can coordinate review and retain continuity; an Expert Working Group may undertake focused drafting or evidence work where required. Contribution, recommendation and publication decision remain distinct responsibilities.
Development sequence
From identified need to maintained edition.
Technical need identified
An institution, member or specialist describes a concrete technical problem, its users and the decision that better requirements might support. The initial account records the observed effect rather than assuming the answer is a new standard.
Existing landscape reviewed
Applicable law, competent-authority requirements, existing standards, research and industry practice are mapped. This identifies overlap, useful existing solutions and areas in which evidence is incomplete.
Need or gap confirmed
The proposed work is tested against the landscape. A standards project advances only where a distinct and useful normative gap can be articulated and the Federation is an appropriate setting for the work.
Preliminary scope defined
Intended users, application domains, technical boundaries and exclusions are described. The scope identifies what the publication can reasonably address and what remains with existing authorities or references.
Document type selected
The appropriate output may be an AF Standard, a narrower AF Technical Specification or a non-normative Technical Work resource. The form follows the technical need, not an assumed publication target.
Technical Committee connection
A relevant Technical Committee provides a continuing technical home for coordination, review and continuity within its defined subject area. Its connection does not by itself constitute approval of a publication.
Expert Working Group formed
Where focused drafting or evidence work is required, participants work to a bounded task and defined competence needs. Mandate, responsibilities and declared interests shape the working arrangement.
Evidence and requirements developed
Technical evidence, operating experience and applicable references inform draft requirements. Each proposed requirement needs a clear purpose, scope, terminology and practicable basis for evaluation.
Internal technical review
Specialists review the coherence, feasibility and evidence behind the emerging text. Conflicts, overlaps, ambiguous terms and untestable requirements are addressed before wider circulation.
Committee Draft
A controlled draft enters structured internal consideration with a known version and review record. Comments are traceable to the text and technical issue under review.
Public Consultation
Where wider input is appropriate, a draft is released with a defined scope and method for comment. Relevant comments are assessed for technical substance, not counted as votes.
Comment resolution
Comments are categorized and resolved through documented technical reasoning. Outcomes may include revision, clarification, further evidence, retention with reasons or reconsideration of scope.
Final technical review
The resolved text is checked for technical coherence, scope, references, conformity implications and consistency with the intended document class. Publication controls are verified before decision.
Publication decision
An authorized decision considers the technical record, review completion and publication suitability. A draft does not become an AF Standard merely because it has circulated.
Controlled publication
An approved edition receives its identifier, date, language and distribution status. The public record distinguishes a published edition from project material and earlier drafts.
Interpretation, maintenance and revision
Questions about published text are handled through controlled interpretation. Material changes, future editions, supersession and historical decision bases remain traceable over time.
Controlled status
What a programme status means.
Preliminary scope and technical need are being defined before formal drafting.
Technical boundaries, intended users, overlaps and document architecture are defined.
Formal technical drafting is underway within the applicable technical structure.
A technical draft is undergoing structured internal review.
A draft is available for wider technical comment through an applicable consultation process.
Comments are resolved and final technical and publication checks are underway.
An approved edition is available as a controlled AF publication.
A published edition remains identifiable while a controlled revision is prepared.
A newer edition has replaced this edition; its historical identity remains traceable.
The publication is no longer current and its withdrawal is recorded.
Wider technical input
Consultation tests the draft.
Drafts may be opened to wider technical consultation where broader input is needed. Comments are reviewed, categorized and resolved through the applicable process before publication. The period and audience belong to the specific consultation record.