Document Lifecycle & Status Taxonomy
Purpose
This page defines the official document lifecycle used within the Members Information Hub.
The status taxonomy does not describe editing progress, opinion, or informal agreement.
It defines the governance and operational state of a document.
Only one version of any operational document may be marked active at any time.
Status Definitions
draft
A document that is being written, amended, or prepared for consideration.
- Content may change at any time.
- Not formally approved.
- Not operational.
- Must not be relied upon.
Used for:
- New policies
- Amendments in progress
- Proposed rule changes
- Committee working documents
- Consultation drafts
active
The current operational version of a document.
- The authoritative version in force.
- Members, officers, and contractors may rely upon it.
- Supersedes any previous active version.
- Represents the document currently governing practice.
There must never be more than one active version of the same document family.
archived
A previously active version retained for record.
- No longer operational.
- Retained for audit, transparency, and historical reference.
- Must not be relied upon for current governance or operations.
Used when:
- A document has been replaced
- A rule has been amended
- A policy has been superseded
Lifecycle Flow
draft → active → archived
Amendment Process
When an active document requires change:
- A copy of the active document is created.
- The new copy is marked
draft.
- The draft is reviewed and formally approved through the appropriate governance process.
- Upon approval, the draft becomes
active.
- The previous active version is reclassified as
archived.
This ensures continuity, traceability, and a clear audit trail.
Governance Rule
- Only one document in any document family may hold
active status.
active denotes the document currently in force.- Draft documents have no operational authority.
- Archived documents remain part of the permanent record.
This taxonomy removes ambiguity between:
- Committee discussion,
- Formal approval,
- And operational authority.
It provides a clear, enforceable structure for governance control.