What is the difference between Development Status and Production Status?

See Project Status on our REDCap Policies page for more information.

Development Status

Development status is the default status when a project is created.  It allows for easy building, testing, and modification of REDCap projects.  Data in projects with development status are not HIPAA compliant.  Projects in development status allow 1) any project modifications in real time, 2) adding and deleting test records, 3) enabling any features that users are allowed to enable.  These features allow for comprehensive testing of a project prior to moving to production status.  Once a project has been tested and you are prepared to begin collecting data from real study participants or other real data for your project, you must request that your project be moved to production status: How do I move a Project to Production Status?

Production Status

Production status is intended for IRB-approved projects or projects with IRB waivers.  Project in Production Status are considered HIPAA compliant and can contain PHI and other study data ("real data").   Once a project is in Production Status, data are backed-up and copied. Please note, while data are backed-up on the production server, if you or anyone added to your project purposely deletes data, for example by deleting records, fields, or instruments, or changing variable names or multiple-choice codes, there may be a fee associated with recovering the data.

You can still make modifications to your project in production status.  Some modifications may require administrator review in order to prevent data loss or project corruption. The modifications are generally reviewed the same business day as they are submitted or early the next business if submitted late in the day.