Date: June 20 2023
Summary: A collected overview on various comments from Julia organization organizers on how to effectively build up an open source organization
Keywords: #github #open #source #community #organization #blog #archive #julia
J. Zelko, “Julia Orgs, How Do You Manage Logistics?,” Julia Programming Language, Jun. 16, 2023. https://discourse.julialang.org/t/julia-orgs-how-do-you-manage-logistics/100430 (accessed Jun. 20, 2023).
As I have been involved with and have started various open source organizations in the past, I wanted to learn more about how other organizations within the Julia community manage this. In particular, as I am getting more serious about bolstering JuliaHealth, I want to make sure to do this as effectively as possible. These were some comments and notes from folks within the Julia Community who made suggestions on how to approach this effectively.
Limit dependency on any one person – Jakob Nissen, George Datseris
All repositories and shared documents should have write access for multiple people, ensuring continuity even if some contributors are unavailable – Jakob Nissen, Guillaume Dalle
Furthermore, packages should be designed with longevity in mind, as maintenance can be a significant challenge – Jakob Nissen, Georgia Datseris
Build trust with frequent contributors – George Datseris
Could review their PRs more leniently
Provide detailed reviews for newcomers
Think about what is the criteria (such as reviews or approvals) before action on a pull request is taken – Guillaume Dalle
Setting clear timeframes for feedback should be established – Guillaume Dalle
Allocate review time (around 70-80%) to evaluating design aspects, logical connections between input-output arguments, and documentation of features – George Datseris
Adapt the intensity of a PR review based on its potential impact to a package – George Datseris
PRs with package wide consequences should receive thorough evaluations
PRs that are independent of existing code could be reviewed more quickly
Bug fixes that affect small parts of the package could be reviewed faster
Use GitHub issues to outline development roadmaps for a given package – Guillaume Dalle
Use labels to prioritize GitHub issues as important and relevant to a given package – Guillaume Dalle
Prioritize discussions within GitHub issues to foster transparency and consolidate discussions in location – George Datseris
Maintain source code simplicity – George Datseris
Avoid making promises about deliverables or timelines – Jakob Nissen
Community calls for triage discussions or long-term package orientation can help build community – Guillaume Dalle
Actively invite individuals to join the organization – George Datseris
Provide them with administrative rights to relevant GitHub teams and repositories to foster participation
Zelko, Jacob. Notes on Managing Open Source Organizations. https://jacobzelko.com/06202023182947-notes-open-orgs. June 20 2023.