Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM)

Blockchain Maturity Overview

Version: 1.0
Date: January 14, 2023
Status: Approved

Approvals

Executive Director January 14, 2023

Gerard R. Dache Title Date

Director, Standards January 14, 2023

Meiyappan Masilamani Title Date

This document is the work product of the GBA Standards & Certification Working Group.
 Government Blockchain Association
Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM)
Overview

Contents
1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Why Do We Need the BMM? ............................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 What is the BMM? ................................................................................................................................................ 1
1.3 Who is the Audience for the BMM? ............................................................................................................... 1
1.3.1 Blockchain Solution Providers .............................................................................................................. 1
1.3.2 Investors......................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.3.3 Acquisition Professionals ........................................................................................................................ 1
1.3.4 Customers ...................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.4 How is the BMM Used......................................................................................................................................... 2
1.5 How is the BMM Maintained ........................................................................................................................... 2
1.6 Terms & Definitions ............................................................................................................................................ 2
2 Scope of the BMM Series ............................................................................................................................................. 2
2.1 Blockchain Solutions........................................................................................................................................... 2
2.2 BMM Document Series ....................................................................................................................................... 2
2.2.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
2.2.2 Requirements ............................................................................................................................................... 3
2.2.3 Resources & Tools ...................................................................................................................................... 3
3 Guiding Principles.......................................................................................................................................................... 4
3.1 Blockchain Principles ......................................................................................................................................... 4
3.1.1 Primary Principles ..................................................................................................................................... 4
3.1.2 Secondary Principles ................................................................................................................................. 5
3.2 Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) Principle ........................................................................................... 5
3.2.1 Solution Improvement Journey ............................................................................................................ 5
3.2.2 Domain Context ........................................................................................................................................... 6
3.3 Assessments ........................................................................................................................................................... 6
3.3.1 GBA Authorized BMM Assessment Partners (BAPs) ................................................................... 6
3.3.2 Assessment Preparation .......................................................................................................................... 7
3.3.3 Assessment Planning ................................................................................................................................ 7
3.3.4 Objectivity vs Insight................................................................................................................................. 7
3.3.5 Conflicts of Interests.................................................................................................................................. 8
3.4 Conducting Assessments & Reporting Results ........................................................................................ 8
4 BMM Content & Structure .......................................................................................................................................... 8

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4.1 Elements .................................................................................................................................................................. 8

4.1.1 Distribution ................................................................................................................................................... 8
4.1.2 Governance ................................................................................................................................................... 9
4.1.3 Identity Management ................................................................................................................................ 9
4.1.4 Interoperability ........................................................................................................................................... 9
4.1.5 Performance ................................................................................................................................................. 9
4.1.6 Privacy............................................................................................................................................................. 9
4.1.7 Reliability ....................................................................................................................................................... 9
4.1.8 Resilience (Fault Tolerance) ................................................................................................................ 10
4.1.9 Security ......................................................................................................................................................... 10
4.1.10 Infrastructure Sustainability................................................................................................................ 10
4.1.11 Synchronization ........................................................................................................................................ 10
4.2 Levels....................................................................................................................................................................... 10
4.2.1 Level 1: Initial............................................................................................................................................. 10
4.2.2 Level 2: Documented............................................................................................................................... 11
4.2.3 Level 3: Validated ..................................................................................................................................... 11
4.2.4 Level 4: Production .................................................................................................................................. 11
4.2.5 Level 5: Optimizing .................................................................................................................................. 11
5 Blockchain Maturity Model Management .......................................................................................................... 11

Appendixes:
A Terms & Definitions
B Authors, Contributors, and Acknowledgements
C Amendment History and Change Management

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 Government Blockchain Association
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1 Introduction
The purpose of this document is to describe the content, structure, use, and maintenance
of the Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) which is composed of requirements, resources &
tools applicable to blockchain solutions. A blockchain solution includes all layers (network,
protocol, application & transactions) of the solution.
1.1 Why Do We Need the BMM?
Some governments and enterprises are in the process of purchasing and acquiring
blockchain based solutions. However, they have little if any experience in acquiring,
implementing, or maintaining blockchain based solutions.
1.2 What is the BMM?
The BMM is a structured framework to compare a proposed or instantiated blockchain
solution against the attributes or elements of a reliable solution. It includes an
assessment of both the product characteristics and the processes used to develop and
maintain the solution. This model is technology agnostic and is equally applicable to
public, private or hybrid blockchain solutions. It is not associated with any specific vendor,
domain, or industry. It is intended to be equally applicable to all blockchain
implementations.
1.3 Who is the Audience for the BMM?
1.3.1 Blockchain Solution Providers
Blockchain solution providers use the BMM as a roadmap to improve their solution and
to demonstrate how it satisfies industry best practices and can be trusted by investors,
acquisition professionals, and customers. The assessment is used to demonstrate that
the solution meets internationally recognized criteria for trusted blockchain solutions.
1.3.2 Investors
Solution Investors uses BMM assessment results to evaluate the maturity and value of
potential solution investments. Level one & two assessments are applicable to potential
solutions and evaluate the feasibility and soundness of plans, and designs.
1.3.3 Acquisition Professionals
Acquisition professionals use assessment results to evaluate proposed solutions and
benchmark offered solutions against a common standard to support fair and effective
acquisition selections.
1.3.4 Customers
Solution customers use assessment results to support the evaluation and selection of
blockchain solutions that meet their expectations and can be trusted to have integrity
and sustainability for the life cycle of a solution.

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1.4 How is the BMM Used

The BMM defines a set of expectations for a variety of attributes or elements. The
expectations are categorized into levels of maturity. Each level has a unique set of
criteria. The criteria are used by trained and qualified subject matter experts to perform
assessments in accordance with a defined set of assessment criteria. The results are made
public (if desired by the solution provider) and can be used to benchmark solutions
against a common set of criteria.
1.5 How is the BMM Maintained
The BMM is maintained by the Government Blockchain Association’s Standards &
Certification Working Group. The group consists of subject matter experts from
international standards organizations, international governance organizations, and
technology organizations. This is a voluntary group that routinely reviews, deploys,
evaluates, and improves BMM related work products.
1.6 Terms & Definitions
The terms and definitions used in this model are recorded in Appendix A: Terms &
Definitions.

2 Scope of the BMM Series

The scope of this document describes the components of the BMM series applicable to
blockchain solutions at all layers (network, protocol, application & transactions).
2.1 Blockchain Solutions
The scope of the BMM refers to blockchain solutions. It is understood that blockchain
technology may be a part of a solution that could be a trusted, transparent, reliable,
immutable, distributed, and sustainable solution. However, to have a comprehensive
evaluation of a solution for all the attributes expected from a blockchain solution,
examination of the full stack of technologies is required. A blockchain solution includes:
• Protocol
• Application or solution built on a protocol
• Technologies that support interfacing with other solutions
• People, processes, and infrastructure supporting the solution
Blockchain components including assets, data, nodes, consensus/synchronization
mechanisms, infrastructure/network, system, participants, protocols, records, and smart
contracts or life cycle scripts are all inclusive of a blockchain solution.
2.2 BMM Document Series
The following items are included in the suite of BMM work products.

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2.2.1 Overview
This BMM Overview Document describes the overall purpose, content, and structure of
the BMM series of work products. It also establishes guiding principles, definitions, and
references to related work products that compose the BMM Series.
2.2.2 Requirements
2.2.2.1 Model Requirements
The BMM Model Requirements describes the criteria required for each element and
level of maturity in order to achieve a rating for each element of the BMM.
2.2.2.2 Assessment Requirements
BMM Assessment Program Requirements describe the method and criteria to plan,
conduct, and report BMM assessment results.
2.2.2.3 Training & Certification Requirements
The BMM Training & Certification Requirements Document describes the method and
criteria for ensuring that individuals have received adequate training & demonstrated
their competence to implement and assess BMM compliance.
2.2.3 Resources & Tools
The GBA makes resources and tools available to the public on the GBA BMM Resources
page. This includes general information such as videos, overview text, downloads of the
model, assessment requirements, and a directory of certified BMM professionals.
2.2.3.1 Certified BMM Professionals
The GBA maintains a directory of GBA credentialed professionals. These individuals
include:
• Consultants - GBA members that complete a GBA Blockchain Foundations Course,
the GBA BMM Course, and a BMM Workshop, and are active participants in the
GBA BMM Continuous Educational Program are listed on the GBA site as BMM
consultants.
• Assessors – Individuals that meet the consultant criteria and have successfully
completed the GBA Assessment Team Member course and have been accepted
into the BMM Assessment Program, are listed on the GBA site as BMM Assessors.
• Lead Assessors – Individuals who have met the requirements of a BMM Assessor
and have:
o Participated in at least two assessments, as a team member
o Led an assessment observed and evaluated by GBA Certified Lead Assessor.
• BMM Trainer – Individuals who are qualified by GBA.
2.2.3.2 Consulting Toolbox
The GBA develops resources and tools available to certified individuals that have met
the criteria described in the BMM Training & Certification Requirements Document.
These resources include checklists, templates, and guidance documents to support the

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consulting activities for the implementation of blockchain solutions. It also includes

tools to help an organization prepare for an assessment. These resources and tools are
maintained in the GBA BMM Professionals Document Library1.
2.2.3.3 Assessment Methodology
The Assessment Methodology is a process document that details the activities,
sequences, and criteria for the tasks required to perform an assessment in accordance
with the BMM Assessment Requirements. It defines the roles and responsibilities for
all activities that constitute the assessment process.
2.2.3.4 Training & Certification Toolbox
The Training & Certification Toolbox includes the training presentations, instructor
guides, student handouts, and testing tools necessary to consistently train and
evaluate personal knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs).

3 Guiding Principles
This Guiding Principles are fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation
for the BMM series. The following principles are used to interpret and guide the
implementation and continual improvement of the BMM series, and the solutions being
implemented and evaluated.
3.1 Blockchain Principles
The primary principles, Decentralization & Distributed are fundamentals of a blockchain
solution. The secondary principles support the achievement of the primary principles or
are the result of the primary principles.
3.1.1 Primary Principles
The primary reason that the first blockchain was established in the early 1990’s resulted
from a concern that as the world was increasingly relying on digital records and those
electronic records could be altered without detection. The researchers pondered what it
would be like to live in a world where records could not be trusted. Using the work of
David Chaum’s paper "Computer Systems Established, Maintained, and Trusted by
Mutually Suspicious Groups" they developed a system that was decentralized and
distributed. In 1991 Scott Stornetta and Stuart Haber developed and implemented the
first blockchain and are considered by many to be the Founders of blockchain. Their
solution used the concept of data linked together cryptographically and confirmed with
collective witnessing. In 2008 Satoshi Nakamoto 2referred to their work in the Bitcoin
whitepaper3, adding the concept of a payload that included a ledger and a token
(Bitcoin).

1 Access to the GBA BMM Professionals Document Library is limited to GBA BMM Professional members.
2 The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto is widely disputed.
3 https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

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From the first conceptualization of the technology to the explosive growth of

blockchain, trust has been the single most important factor in requirements for
blockchain solutions. For that reason, blockchain is sometimes referred to as a “Trust
Protocol”. The founders of the blockchain technology identified two major principles
that would ensure the trust of digital records. They are Decentralization, and
Distribution. These two principles form the bedrock of blockchain technology.
• Decentralization – Data is distributed amongst a network of independent parties
that validate transactions.
• Distributed – The function of recording information in a blockchain solution is
distributed among a network to mitigate the risk of network outages and
tampering with data.
3.1.2 Secondary Principles
The secondary principles are the result of achieving decentralization and distribution.
These secondary principles can be used to determine the degree of decentralization and
distribution. They are described below.
• Consensus – The state of verified information is confirmed by a group of entities
that mutually agree on the integrity of the information. This may be performed by a
wide variety of consensus and synchronization mechanisms.
• Cryptography – Blockchain solutions use cryptography to secure transactions and
records.
• Immutability – The information recorded on a blockchain may never be changed.
However, new information may be appended to record a change in state. All
information and any appended information is permanently recorded.
• Incentive Mechanism – Blockchain solutions include an incentive mechanism to
motivate stakeholders to sustain the solution.
• Peer-to-Peer – Blockchain solutions use Communications directly between
stakeholders without the involvement of a third-party.
• Resilience – No single entity or event may interrupt or prevent access to the
blockchain solution.
• Transparency - Any change to the information recorded in a blockchain solution is
visible and transparent to all users and administrators of the solution.
3.2 Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) Principle
3.2.1 Solution Improvement Journey
No solution is perfect at the onset. Solutions change over time as the environment,
needs, and technology change. Solutions can improve or degrade over time. They
require monitoring and maintenance and enhancements. Therefore, the BMM is
intended to be used as a solution improvement tool. It is not intended to be a one-time
activity. To fully benefit from using the BMM it should be used periodically to identify
weaknesses and improvement opportunities on a continual basis. Further, the model

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should be used as a coaching tool. Consultants, assessors, and lead assessors should be
focused on helping solution providers improve their solution.
3.2.2 Domain Context
While the BMM identifies core requirements that are applicable to all blockchain
solutions, it must be understood that some domains have differing expectations and
requirements. For example, identity management expectations are very different
depending on the domain.
• Banking & financial systems in regulated industries require strict observance of
Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) regulations.
• Medical trials solutions require that you know that data came from a specific
patient identifier. However, their specific identity may need to be concealed.
• Most election systems require permanent separability between the voter and
their vote.
BMM professionals must have the flexibility, expertise, and judgement to apply the
requirements appropriately in the domain context.
3.3 Assessments
BMM assessments are a process. This process is based on specific requirements for:
• Preparing
• Planning, and conducting assessments, and
• Reporting results.
3.3.1 GBA Authorized BMM Assessment Partners (BAPs)
GBA recognizes and publishes assessment results that are performed by either the GBA
or GBA Authorized BMM Assessment Partners (BAPs). The process to become a BAP
includes the following criteria:
• GBA standard organizational member in good standing
• Recommended by the GBA Regional Lead
• Approved by the GBA Director of Standards & Certifications
The BAPs establish business relationships with entities for the conduct of an assessment.
However, a BAP may not engage in business relationships to conduct consulting and
appraisal services to the same entity.
The BAP is required to register the assessment with the GBA Director of Standards &
Certification within 30 days of entering an assessment agreement. Upon conclusion of the
assessment the BAP submits all the assessment deliverables to the GBA Director of
Standards & Certification for review and approval along with a BMM Assessment Review
Fee. Once approved, the assessment results shall be posted on the BMM Website.

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3.3.2 Assessment Preparation

Solution providers may download resources from the GBA site to prepare for the
assessment. Seeking the advice of a BMM professional may streamline and accelerate
positive results. The GBA does not participate in consulting activities. However, the GBA
does train and credential BMM Professionals that are available to consult for
organizations seeking support for their BMM based solution improvement journey.
3.3.3 Assessment Planning
Assessments are planned to maximize the value of an assessment and to minimize cost
and administrative expenses. Planning involves the following considerations.
3.3.3.1 Assessment Teams
Assessment teams are a group of at least four qualified assessment team members,
one of which is a lead assessor. The combined expertise of the team must have the
skills and capabilities to conduct an assessment from the following perspectives:
• Technical
• Legal
• Digital Asset Management
• Industry/Domain
It is the responsibility of the Assessment Team Lead to ensure that the team is
adequately skilled to conduct the assessment.
3.3.3.2 Self-Assessment
Prior to determining the composition of the assessment team, the Lead Assessor and
the Solution Point of Contact verify that adequate objective evidence has been
collected to support the assessment and that it will be available during the team
review. This may be supported by a consultant. However, it is recommended that a
GBA credentialed consultant be used to minimize surprises during the assessment
team review.
3.3.4 Objectivity vs Insight
Assessment teams need both objectivity and insight to effectively conduct an
assessment. Insight is typically achieved by having people closely knowledgeable about
the solution on the team. However, those people typically lack objectivity. And
objectivity is absolutely required of an assessment team. To balance these two
important considerations, the team maybe comprised of individuals internal and
external to the organization seeking the assessment. However, the following constrains
apply:
• Internal team members may not comprise more than 50% of the assessment team.
• No one who is responsible for the positive outcome of the appraisal may be on the
assessment team. This includes any consultants, managers, or anyone in the chain of
leadership related to the solution.

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• No internal member of the assessment team may have supervisory authority over
another internal member of the team.
3.3.5 Conflicts of Interests
Conflicts of interest are almost unavoidable. However, the Lead Assessor is responsible
for ensuring that all potential conflicts of interest are identified and mitigated.
3.4 Conducting Assessments & Reporting Results
Assessment teams will review evidence and conduct interviews to perform the
assessment. The team will achieve consensus on the results of the appraisal. Appraisal
results include a rating for each element. The lowest common element rating for all
elements determines the overall solution level rating. Along with the ratings are
weaknesses/improvement opportunities identified by the team to help the organization
mature the solution to the next level of maturity for each element. The assessed
blockchain solution will be listed on the GBA website.

4 BMM Content & Structure

The capabilities defined in the Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM), are articulated in two
types of requirements and expectations for assessment. There are generic requirements &
expectations, and domain specific requirements & expectations.
• Generic requirements & expectations refer to the set of elements that a blockchain
solution should have for it to be a reliable solution.
• Domain specific are a set of elements that are necessary for the application of
blockchain technology to specific domains.
4.1 Elements
For a solution to be reliable for use by organizations, it must be capable of meeting
requirements and expectations in the following elements:
• Distribution • Privacy
• Infrastructure Sustainability • Reliability
• Governance • Resilience
• Identity Management • Security
• Interoperability • Synchronization
• Performance

The following subparagraphs describes the goals associated with each element.
4.1.1 Distribution
The goal of distribution is to assess the hosting concentration risk from homogeneous to
heterogeneous.

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4.1.2 Governance
The goal of governance in a blockchain solution is to provide effective management of
key components, including assets, nodes, synchronization mechanisms,
infrastructure/network, system, participants, protocols, records, and smart contracts or
life cycle scripts. Governance may be performed by a variety of mechanisms ranging
from a centralized authority to one or more mutualized network agreement.
4.1.3 Identity Management
The goal of identity management in a blockchain solution is to ensure that controls are
in place for identity and access management. Controls include:
• Methods to identify users of a system and establish a user profile, address, or
other identifier
• Define the activities and processes to bind a user to a known identity or
dissociate a user from a real-word identity to protect anonymity.
• Associating user profiles with one or more roles and/or permissions
• Associating roles and levels of access and permissions
• Allocating users to groups
• Adding, modifying, or removing users, roles, groups, and permissions
• Limiting access to individuals and groups based on defined rules.
4.1.4 Interoperability
The goal of interoperability is to facilitate the ability of a blockchain solution to share
and use information and assets with other legacy and blockchain solutions.
4.1.5 Performance
The goal of performance in a blockchain solution is to ensure that the transaction
volumes and speed are suitable for the use of the blockchain. This is measured based on
an understanding of demand requirements and resource utilization. It includes
consideration of capacity, cost, latency, memory, transaction speeds, and transaction
finality.
4.1.6 Privacy
The goal of privacy in a blockchain solution is to ensure that the solution has adequate
encryption and protections of Personal Identifiable Information (PII) in accordance with
international standards such as the General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR). The
protections are required both internally and externally to the network because the key
components, composed of nodes, synchronization mechanisms, infrastructure/network,
system, deterministic scripts, and smart contracts.
4.1.7 Reliability
The goal of reliability in a blockchain solution is to provide the assurance that adequate
controls address and mitigate the resolution of the disputed forks, blocks, errors or
fraud of the network.

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4.1.8 Resilience (Fault Tolerance)

The goal of resilience in a blockchain solution is to ensure the continuity of operations
during unforeseen events, limitations, and failures. Resilience management aims at
optimizing the capacity and availability of critical components. Critical components may
include nodes, synchronization mechanisms, infrastructure/network, system, smart
contracts, and deterministic scripts.
4.1.9 Security
The goal of security in a blockchain solution is to provide assurance that adequate
controls address and mitigate the end-to-end security risks of the solution composed of
nodes, synchronization mechanisms, infrastructure/network (hardware/software),
network interfaces, network-linked devices, system, deterministic scripts, and smart
contracts.
4.1.10 Infrastructure Sustainability
The goal of Infrastructure Sustainability is to ensure the availability of all resources
required to maintain the capabilities and satisfy requirements throughout the life of the
solution.
4.1.11 Synchronization
The goal of synchronization in a blockchain solution is to assess the means for the
network to achieve consistency and completeness for finality of the distributed and
immutable records. Synchronization covers many mechanisms which include, but are
not limited to, consensus algorithms, competitions such as mining, elected or selected
validators with Proof of Stake solutions.
4.2 Levels
Within each element, there are five levels. The five levels relate to degrees of reliability
and dependability for the given element or domain specific element. The five levels are:
• Level 1: Initial
• Level 2: Documented
• Level 3: Validated
• Level 4: Production
• Level 5: Optimizing
To be assessed at any level, all expectations of that level, and below, must be met for all
the capabilities.
4.2.1 Level 1: Initial
The Initial Level is the baseline level. It represents the state of having some portion of
the element documented and implemented. For a solution to achieve level one, there
must be some evidence that the activities described in the Element description has been
documented and/or implemented.

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4.2.2 Level 2: Documented

Elements are assessed as “Documented” when there is evidence that the activities
described in the BMM element description have been incorporated into the charter,
plans, designs, or other solution documentation. The documentation should be
sufficient to provide confidence to investors, potential users & customers that the
solution (or potential solution) has the capability to implement the element when
deployed into a production environment.
4.2.3 Level 3: Validated
Elements are assessed as “Validated” when there is adequate evidence that the solution
demonstrates that it functions as intended, generating the expected outcome and is a
proof-of-concept. The system demonstrates that each element of the system has the
capability to satisfy its operational requirements over the lifecycle of the solution.
4.2.4 Level 4: Production
Elements are assessed as “Production” when there is adequate evidence that they work
as intended, generating the expected outcome, together with all the other parts of the
blockchain solution. Hence, the solution is capable of operational deployment, with
supporting documentation and recording of its performance.
4.2.5 Level 5: Optimizing
Elements are assessed as “Optimizing” when there is adequate evidence that they can
maintain continuity of their operations, with consistent and reliable performance, over a
long period. Solutions are also expected to demonstrate adequate evidence that they
can adapt to the appropriate scale of deployment, while maintaining consistent and
reliable performance.

5 Blockchain Maturity Model Management

The GBA is responsible for regularly reviewing and improving the BMM Series of
documents, resources, and tool. Towards that end, the GBA established a Director of
Standards & Certifications who is responsible for the oversight of the BMM program and
related activities. These activities include:
• Establishing oversight groups and individuals
• Scheduling and conducting regular reviews and revisions of BMM series documents
and tools

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Appendix A: Terms & Definitions

Term Definition
Administrative The ability to make changes to either node hardware or ledger
Control updates.
Asset Anything that has value to a stakeholder. See ISO/TS 19299:2015 3.3
Block Structured data comprising block data and a block header
Block data Structured data comprising zero or more transaction records or
references to transaction records.
Block header Structured data that includes a cryptographic link to the previous
block unless there is no previous block
Block reward reward given to miners or validators after a block is confirmed in a
block chain system
Blockchain distributed ledger with confirmed transactions organized in an
append-only, sequential chain using cryptographic links
Blockchain system system that implements a blockchain
Charter The term “charter’ or “project charter” refers to one or more
documents that describes how the blockchain solution will be
implemented. It could be a proposal, white paper, project plan,
design document, technical data package or any other combination
of work products that define the intentions of parties to implement
a blockchain solution.
Components Referred to nodes, consensus mechanisms, infrastructure/network,
system, deterministic scripts and smart contracts.
Consensus Agreement among DLT nodes that a transaction is validated and that
the distributed ledger contains a consistent set and ordering of
validated transactions
Consensus Rules and procedures by which consensus is reached
Mechanism
Crypto-asset Digital asset implemented using cryptographic techniques
Cryptocurrency crypto-asset designed to work as a medium of value exchange
Cryptographic hash function mapping binary strings of arbitrary length to binary strings
function of fixed length, such that it is computationally costly to find for a
given output an input that maps to the output, it is computationally
infeasible to find for a given input a second input that maps to the
same output, and it is computationally infeasible to find any two
distinct inputs that map to the same output
Cryptographic link Reference, constructed using a cryptographic hash function
technique, that points to data.
Cryptography Discipline that embodies the principles, means, and methods for the
transformation of data in order to hide their semantic content,

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Appendix A: Terms & Definitions

Term Definition
prevent their unauthorized use, or prevent their undetected
modification.
Decentralization This term is used to describe the degree to which decision or actions
can be taken by a single party compared to a general population of
stakeholders
Decentralized Application that runs on a decentralized system
application DApp
Decentralized system Distributed system wherein control is distributed among the persons
or organizations participating in the operation of the system.
Digital Asset Asset that exists only in digital form or which is the digital
representation of another asset.
Domain Area The set of functions that are necessary for the application of
blockchain technology for specific uses.
Element A single characteristic that a blockchain solution should have for it to
be a reliable solution.
Immutability A property wherein ledger records cannot be modified or removed
once added to a distributed ledger
Interoperability The ability of two or more systems or applications to exchange
information and assets. It also includes the ability to mutually use
the information and assets that have been exchanged.
Key Component A component that if it fails or is degraded would negatively impact
the overall performance of the blockchain solution.
Blockchain Node A blockchain node is a device, usually a computer, that participates
in a blockchain network. It runs the blockchain protocol's software,
allowing it to help validate transactions and keep the network
secure. Blockchain nodes communicate with each other. The more
independently controlled nodes there are, the more decentralized
the network is.
Smart Contract Software code that automates the execution of an agreement.
Note: A smart contract can represent terms in a contract in law and
create a legally enforceable obligation under the legislation of an
applicable jurisdiction.
Solution Point of The solution point of contact is the person within an organization
Contact (SPoC) who collaborates with the lead appraiser to plan and conduct the
appraisal. The solution point of contact receives the appraisal
findings from the appraisal team and is considered the customer of
the appraisal.
Transaction Finality The moment when it becomes impossible to revert or alter a
transaction that has been added to the blockchain.

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Appendix B: Authors, Contributors, and Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following people for their hard work, contributions, and inputs:
• Alejandro Mandujano
• Allyson R Ugarte
• Dino Cataldo Dell'Accio
• Frederic de Vaulx
• Gerard Dache
• Lori Souza
• Meiyappan Masilamani
• Paul F. Dowding
• Steve Henley

January 14, 2023 Page B-1 Approved

 Government Blockchain Association
Blockchain Maturity Model

Appendix C: Amendment History & Change Control Log

Amendment History and Change Management

Version Changes / Reasons Change Changed by Date
reference
1.0 Initial Issue Jan 14, 2023

January 14, 2023 Page C-1 Approved