From c2de1fe3ebdb6c7a9fc0dd92c9fc89f955a3472f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Paul Latzelsperger <43503240+paullatzelsperger@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2023 12:47:53 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] docs: decision record about contributor onboarding process (#3197) --- .../README.md | 45 +++++++++++++++++++ docs/developer/decision-records/README.md | 1 + 2 files changed, 46 insertions(+) create mode 100644 docs/developer/decision-records/2023-06-19-onboarding-contributors/README.md diff --git a/docs/developer/decision-records/2023-06-19-onboarding-contributors/README.md b/docs/developer/decision-records/2023-06-19-onboarding-contributors/README.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..0960c3be9bb --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/developer/decision-records/2023-06-19-onboarding-contributors/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +# Changes to onboarding contributors + +## Decision + +Becoming a _"contributor"_ in the project will now require a proven track record of continuous contributions. The list +of _"contributors"_ will be checked regularly for active participation, and inactive members will get removed. + +NB: the term _"contributor"_ refers to a specific role in the GitHub org defined by Eclipse, not in the loosely defined +GitHub sense "person who has contributed once". + +## Rationale + +Contributors have certain rights, like assigning issue labels, that can have a significant impact on the lifecycle of an +issue. For example, a contributor could remove the `triage` label ( +see [this decision-record](../2023-06-19-new-issue-triage-process)) and thus schedule an issue for planning. At the very +least that causes additional work for the technical committee. +Combined with the fact that up until now there was no real process to become a committer, that could cause confusion and +additional effort. + +So in order to become a committer, there now has to be a sustained stream of valuable contributions in the form of +pull-requests and beyond that, the contributor-to-be has to show that they'll be a valuable addition to the group, e.g. +by participating in discussions, answering questions etc. It is generally assumed that the project guidelines +regarding [pull requests](../../../../pr_etiquette.md), [code style](../../../../styleguide.md), [coding +principles](../../architecture/coding-principles.md) etc. are adhered to. + +The intention behind this is not to make it unduly hard for people to participate in the project ("gate-keeping"), but +rather to groom an active community, that gains insight and knowledge about EDC, and where members can - and are willing +to - contribute back into the community. + +While pull requests are certainly the most important and impactful way of contributing, there are others, like +participating in discussions, creating meaningful and well-formulated issues, etc. that will be taken into +consideration. + +If active participation of a contributor stagnates or ceases completely, that contributor may get removed again without +prior notice. Both adding and removing happens at the discretion of the technical committee of EDC. + +> Being a contributor first is a precondition to becoming a committer! + +## Approach + +- Adding and removing contributors is done by the technical committee in one of its regular meetings +- There is no hard minimum amount of contributions, approval happens at the discretion of the committee. There also is + no guaranteed time frame for a decision. +- After this decision-record gets accepted, the technical committee will evaluate the current list of contributors, and + perform an initial clean-up diff --git a/docs/developer/decision-records/README.md b/docs/developer/decision-records/README.md index 7e9b529e1dd..462a38de37b 100644 --- a/docs/developer/decision-records/README.md +++ b/docs/developer/decision-records/README.md @@ -64,3 +64,4 @@ - [2023-06-02-separating_plugins_and_metamodel](2023-06-02-separating_plugins_and_metamodel) - [2023-06-05-validation-engine](2023-06-05-validation-engine) - [2023-06-19-change-of-github-labels](2023-06-19-new-issue-triage-process/) +- [2023-06-19-onboarding-contributors](2023-06-19-onboarding-contributors/)