3GPP 21.900 v20.0.0 — the document's own text

4.10.3.4 Introduction of features into Releases

Taught in 3. What a Release is, and what freezing one costs (How standards actually get made, in depth), 16. What this record cannot tell you (How standards actually get made, in depth), 4. The change request and the release (How standards actually get made, overview), 7. Reading either body's paper trail yourself (How standards actually get made, overview), 4. Looking it up yourself, and what the record will not tell you (How standards actually get made, quick start).

Development of the 3GPP system specifications shall be controlled by means of a work plan covering the inclusion of new features (functionality). Target dates for completion of Work Items (see clause 6) shall be estimated by the responsible Groups. Milestones may be defined to monitor the progress of Work Items. Based on the estimated completion of the desired features, a target date for freezing of the specifications pertaining to the next Release can – and shall – be calculated. Feature development should be based around approximately annual Releases.

Thus the work plan shall indicate (a) the estimated freeze date of forthcoming Releases and (b) the functional content of each such Release. The work plan shall show all projected work, regardless of Release; this will ease long term planning and the packaging of features into Releases. Completed Work Items shall be removed from the plan once the Release of which they form a part has been frozen.

3GPP technical coordination should set target dates for the freezing of each individual stage (cf. clause 4.1) on all currently worked-upon Releases (i.e. non-frozen).. On freezing stage 2 of Release x, TSGs should propose a target freeze date for stages 1, 2 and 3 of Release x+1. It is possible that features of exceptional complexity may span more than one Release (eg new core network architecture, new radio interface).

The freezing date for a particular stage of a Release should insofar as is possible be adhered to, even if, due to delays, it is not possible to include all the features originally intended. Features which cannot be completed in time should be held over to the next Release. It will normally be the case that test specifications and O&M specifications will not necessarily be completed until some time after the base specifications; this shall not impede the freezing of the Release as a whole. However, if it becomes evident that, due to delays in a number of important features, a new Release would contain little new functionality, it may be preferable to delay the freezing of the stage of a Release to allow more of the originally intended features to be included.

The project plan shall clearly show the progress of each Work Item. When all component Work Items of a feature have been completed, the TSG shall declare the feature to be frozen. The only further development permitted from that point onwards shall be:

the essential correction of errors;
the completion of the test and O&M specifications; and
unavoidable adjustments required to cater for interworking with other features in the same Release.

See clause 6 for further information on Work Items.