What is the purpose of ISO 19650 suitability codes?

 When working with ISO 19650 CDE documents, you might wonder: What is the purpose of suitability codes?

The primary purpose of these codes is to provide a progressive framework for quality, intent, and milestone approval. They help ensure the content is developed, reviewed, and approved systematically through the milestone.

Here’s a breakdown of common suitability codes:

• S1: For coordination — the authoring team develops an iterative solution for integration, inviting collaborative comments. The solution will continue to develop.
• S3: For review and comment — the authoring team has developed the solution significantly for technical reviews or the pre-milestone quality sign-off process. The contents may undergo interdisciplinary or technical quality reviews, capturing feedback for resolution.
• S4: For stage authorization — the delivery team confirms the solution is complete and meets the milestone quality thresholds; delivery team quality sign-offs are obtained, and the solution is authorized for client submission.
• S5: For stage acceptance — the client may review and formally accept the solution. Note: This step is optional and reliant on the client’s submission processes.
• A1/A2/A3/A4….: Published — Accepted formal milestone submission, meeting the milestone contractual requirements.

Note: Not every document will go through all statuses; however, they must go through an S4 before stage approval.
You may notice that S2 is missing. S2 – is an outlier, typically referring to reference documents generated outside the delivery team, and/or will not have an iterative development approach.

What Does S2 in a CDE Mean?

When exploring the BS EN ISO19650-2 national annex, you'll encounter various shared states, each with specific meanings and uses. But what exactly do they represent, and how should you apply them?

One of the outliers in these suitability codes is S2. Unlike other codes, which typically relate to content developed by a project task team seeking collaborative input or feedback, S2 is different.

 

What does "Suitable for Information/Reference" mean?

S2 refers to content (Information Container) not authored directly by a project task team CDE member. Examples include historical or contextual information, including reference designs created by others, or content defined outside of the team, such as industry standards or guides.

This indicates that the content is intended for informational or reference purposes only. It is valuable for understanding context or standards, but does not have a direct feedback loop to its source within the Common Data Environment (CDE).

Ever wondered where those ISO Status Codes S1, S2, S3, etc., come from?

If you're working with ISO 19650, you might have noticed these codes referenced by clients, especially in Australian government projects. But have you checked if they are in the AZ ISO 19650 series? 

Here's the thing: the AZ ISO 19650 series only mentions Work in Progress (WiP), Shared, Published, and Archived status codes. So where do the S0, S1, S2, S3 codes come from? 

The answer lies in the British Standards version of BS EN ISO 19650-2:2018 & Revised NA (2021).

This regional version of the standard includes a UK National Annex with detailed guidance on: 

• Information container naming structures
• Revision systems
• Suitability codes

Pro tip: If your organisation has access, check the British Standards Institution Online site to get the full details. 

Hope this clears up a common confusion! Stay tuned — I’ve got more Digital Engineering and BIM insights coming soon.