Development of specifications to address new concerns in genomic knowledge sharing requires iterative improvement over time. When these components are designed to work interoperably with other data standards and frameworks, there needs to be clear communication with the GA4GH user community about the maturity and availability of the data classes from these specifications.

The GKS Work Stream has developed a maturity model and versioning system for communicating the readiness and stability of new specifications. GKS has applied this in a variety of scenarios from experiences in the development of the VRS and VA specifications.