Flowchart: Revising a W3C Recommendation
  A Recommendation can be revised. If the changes are editorial it only needs the Director's approval of the Working Group Decision. If they are substantive, but there are no new features, it needs to be represented as a Candidate Recommendation, but if there are new features it needs to begin again as a First Public Working Draft.
  
    
      First Public Working Draft - Exclusion Opportunity
      
        
        First WD
          WG Decision
          Director's approval
        
        
    
    
      Working Draft
      
        
        WD
      
        
        Publish a New Working Draft
        
          WG Decision: review needed, or
          No change for 6 months
        
          
      
        
        Advance to Candidate Recommendation 
        Director's approval
          
           
    
    
      Candidate recommendation - Patent Policy Exclusion Opportunity
      
        
        CR
      
        Publish a revised CR
        
          Working Group Decision,
          Directors approval
        
        
         
      
        Advance to Proposed Recommendation 
        Director's approval
        
         
      
        Return to Working Draft 
        
          WG or Director decision
          e.g. for further review
        
         
    
    
      Proposed Recommendation - Advisory Committee Review
      
        
        PR
      
        Advance to Recommendation 
          
          Advisory Committee Review
          Director's Decision
        
         
      
        Return to Working Draft 
        
          AC Review, 
          Director Decision
          e.g. for minor changes
        
         
      
        Return to Working Draft 
        
          Advisory Committee review and Director's Decision, e.g. for further work and review
        
         
    
    
      W3C Recommendation
      
        
        REC
      
        Proposed change to a Recommendation
        
        
      
    
  
 Initial maturity levels for a modification
    
      
        
        
          Substantive
          Changes?
        
          Only editorial changes: Edited Recommendation
          No
          
            Director'sapproval
          
          
        
          Yes
          
          
        
    
      
        
        
          New
          Features?
        
          No new features - return to Candidate Recommendation
          
          
          No
          
            Director'sapproval
          
        
             Yes