The ca2 software development process is quite loosely-coupled.
It means it is used as a guiding rule, masterly guided by the main subjectivity: love and wellfare for all.
Pay attention to the following picture and to the following explanation:

basis means the main branch and the creative work, of development, tests, enhancements made upon it.
stage means the release branch and the work of small and specif corrections and localized tests.
The temperature - with red color - indicates the level of modifications, of creative works that are inserted in a same period of time to the main branch.
It is indicated in red to show that it is in the basis that are made the great changes. And that it passes by a phase of new features insertion. And after it, passes by a phase of cooling and polishing, to generate a new release.
After it is "very cooled", the work in basis is released in a new stage. The past stage exists, but it s not supported anymore and does not receive changes anymore.
At stage, it is done only small corrections - bug fixes.
The official ca2 process is restricted to this.