Basic W3C Recommendation Process
A document moves from First Public Working draft, to subsequent Working Drafts, which can eventually be advanced to Candidate Recommendation. A Candidate Recommendation can be returned to Working Draft status, revised, or advance to Proposed Recommendation Status. A Proposed Recommendation can be returned to Candidate Recommendation or Working Draft status, or can become a Recommendation.
First WD
The first official stage for a document is the First Public Working Draft
WD
CR
PR
REC