The standards development process under which CSA operates is well developed and formally documented and controlled. This process includes seven distinct stages:

Preliminary Stage: On receipt of a request for the development of a standard, an evaluation is conducted and the project is submitted for authorization.

Proposal Stage: Public notice of intent to proceed is published and a Technical Committee is formed - or the project is assigned to an existing Technical Committee.

Preparatory Stage: A working draft is prepared and a project schedule is established.

Committee Stage: The Technical Committee or Technical SubCommittee - facilitated by CSA staff - develops the draft through an iterative process that typically involves a number of committee meetings.

Enquiry Stage: The draft is offered to the public for review and comment, the Technical Committee reaches consensus, CSA staff conduct a quality review and a pre-approval edit is completed.

Approval Stage: The Technical Committee approves the technical content by letter ballot or recorded vote. A second level review is conducted to verify that standards development procedures were followed.

Publication Stage: CSA staff conducts a final edit to verify conformity with the applicable editorial and procedural requirements. CSA then publishes and disseminates the standard.

Maintenance Stage: The standard is maintained with the objective of keeping it up to date and technically valid. This may include the publication of amendments, the interpretation of a standard or clause, and the systematic (five-year) review of all standards.