This guide describes how a change proposal typically evolves from the first idea to an approved change in the standard. It focuses on what you need to do, when Samtrafiken becomes involved and how the BoB Community contributes throughout the process.

The process is collaborative. You are encouraged to prepare and drive your proposal yourself, while Samtrafiken provides guidance when needed and coordinates the formal Change Management process.

Step 1 – Identify the need

Primary responsibility: You

Every change starts with a need.

Try to describe:

• What problem are you trying to solve?

• Who is affected?

• Why is the current solution not sufficient?

• What value would the proposed change bring?

At this stage you do not need a complete solution. A clearly described problem is often more valuable than a detailed implementation.

Step 2 – Discuss the idea

Primary responsibility: You

Before writing a formal Change Request, discuss your idea with the community.

You can:

• Create a post in BoB Tech to gather early feedback.

• Present your idea during BoB Tech Live.

• Discuss the proposal directly with other participants.

The purpose is not to get approval, but to gather feedback, identify consequences and discover whether others have similar needs.

BoB Community: Provides feedback, asks questions and contributes ideas that can improve the proposal.

Samtrafiken: Participates in discussions and provides guidance when needed.

Step 3 – Refine the proposal

Primary responsibility: You

Use the feedback to improve your proposal.

You may discover:

• a simpler solution

• additional use cases

• technical implications

• opportunities to combine your proposal with another initiative

There is no fixed point when a proposal is considered ready. Sometimes the Change Request itself becomes the basis for continued discussion.

Step 4 – Create the technical contribution

Primary responsibility: You

If your proposal affects the technical specification, you should prepare the proposed changes by following the Technical Contribution Guide.

This involves:

• Creating a fork of the relevant repository.

• Implementing the proposed changes.

• Submitting a Pull Request containing your proposed modifications.

The technical contribution should be completed before the proposal is opened for community dialogue.

For smaller editorial or straightforward changes, a separate technical contribution may not be necessary.

Samtrafiken

Can provide guidance on the contribution process and repository structure if needed.

Step 5 – Create the Change Request

Primary responsibility: You

Prepare your Change Request by describing:

• the problem

• the proposed solution

• why the change is needed

• the expected benefits

• references to the technical proposal (if applicable)

You can use our Change Request Template.

By this stage, your proposal has normally matured through discussions with the community.

Step 6 – Submit and register the Change Request

Primary responsibility: Samtrafiken

Your responsibility

Submit your Change Request by sending it through Samtrafiken’s Support Portal.

Samtrafiken

Reviews the Change Request to ensure that it contains the necessary information and may request clarifications if needed.

Once the proposal is ready to move forward, Samtrafiken creates an official issue in the BOBX backlog. From this point, the proposal becomes part of the formal Change Management process and can proceed to community review.

Step 7 – Community review

Primary responsibility: Samtrafiken

Once the proposal is considered mature and contains the necessary information, Samtrafiken publishes the BOBX issue in the BoB Tech Forum and opens it for community dialogue.

Samtrafiken

Publishes the BOBX issue in the BoB Tech Forum and opens it for community dialogue. Coordinates the review process and ensures that the proposal is visible to the community.

BoB Community

Reviews the proposal and contributes comments, questions and suggestions through the BoB Tech Forum.

The goal is to identify improvements, clarify questions and build consensus before the proposal is presented to the CAB.

You

Participate in the discussion, answer questions and update the proposal or technical documentation where appropriate.

Step 8 – CAB review and decision

Primary responsibility: Samtrafiken

Once the community review has been completed and any relevant feedback has been addressed, Samtrafiken prepares the proposal for formal review by the Change Advisory Board (CAB).

Samtrafiken

Presents the proposal and the outcome of the community review to the CAB and coordinates the formal review process.

CAB

CAB members review the proposal individually over a review period of approximately one month. The proposal is then discussed at the next CAB meeting, where the board makes the formal decision.

The CAB works by consensus. Since proposals have normally been discussed and refined throughout the process it is uncommon for a proposal to be rejected at this stage.

If a CAB member cannot support a proposal, they are expected to present clear technical or business reasons for their position. Whenever possible, concerns should be accompanied by suggested modifications or alternative solutions that help move the proposal towards a consensus.

Possible outcomes include:

• Approved

• Approved with modifications

• Postponed

• Rejected (uncommon)

If the proposal is approved, the change is planned for inclusion in a future release of the BoB Standard and implemented as part of the normal release process.

Need help

You are expected to prepare and drive your proposal yourself, but you do not have to do it alone.

If you have questions or need guidance at any stage of the process, Samtrafiken is happy to help. Please submit your request trough Samtrafiken’s Support Portal,