---
url: https://brand.okrado.com/contribute/governance/
title: Governance and lifecycle
description: The stages a component goes through, what each requires, and who owns what.
kind: explanation
owner: hmdmsd
updated: 2026-11-03
review_by: 2027-02-28
audience:
  - designer
  - developer
---

# Governance and lifecycle

> The stages a component goes through, what each requires, and who owns what.

## Stages

| Stage          | Meaning                                 | Rule                                                                                                             |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `experimental` | being tried, not in the public manifest | tagged out of the manifest                                                                                       |
| `beta`         | works, API may change                   | needs a consumer and passing tests                                                                               |
| `stable`       | the supported API                       | needs a docs page, the generated matrix green, axe at zero, geometry tests where it lays out, and a review score |
| `deprecated`   | being replaced                          | names its replacement and a sunset date; consumers may not import it                                             |

A stage changes by a pull request that shows the evidence.

## Ownership

Every page of this site has an `owner` and a `review_by` date in its front matter, and every section has a code owner. A page past its review date is flagged by the checks, and then blocks the build.

## Decisions

Design decisions are recorded as numbered decisions in the knowledge base; accepted ones are frozen and a change is a new record. This site is generated from the tokens and the component manifest wherever it can be, so a fact lives in one place.