Draft - Preliminary Version

Enhanced Definition

In the context of IBM mainframe systems and z/OS, a "draft" or "preliminary version" refers to an early, incomplete, or unapproved iteration of a program, JCL script, system configuration, documentation, or any other artifact within the software development lifecycle. It signifies that the item is not yet ready for production use and is subject to further development, testing, and review. While "Draft - Preliminary version" is not a specific technical term within the IBM mainframe z/OS ecosystem, it refers to the conceptual state of an artifact (such as a program, JCL, data definition, or configuration) that is under development, testing, or review and is not yet approved for production use. This concept is managed through specific mainframe tools, libraries, and established processes.

Key Characteristics

- Not Production-Ready: Lacks the stability, comprehensive testing, and formal approvals required for deployment into a production environment.
- Subject to Change: Expected to undergo modifications, enhancements, or corrections based on feedback, testing results, or evolving requirements.
- Resides in Development/Test Libraries: Typically stored in dedicated development (DEV) or quality assurance (QA) libraries (e.g., PDS or PDSE members) rather than production (PROD) libraries.
- Requires Formal Review and Approval: Must pass through a formal change management process, including peer reviews, various testing cycles, and stakeholder approvals, before promotion.
- May Contain Known Issues: Could have bugs, incomplete features, or performance inefficiencies that need to be addressed and resolved.

Use Cases

- COBOL Program Development: A COBOL source member being actively coded and compiled in a development environment, not yet unit-tested or integrated with other modules.
- JCL Script Creation: A JCL stream being written and tested for a new batch job or utility, with DD statements pointing to test datasets and EXEC PGM statements referencing development load modules.
- System Configuration Updates: A new `PARML