[Incubator] Unresponsive/Inactive Projects

[Jody Garnett]

On Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 6:37 AM, Landon Blake <sunburned.surveyor at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Incubation Committee:
>
> What happens when we get an inactive or unresponsive project in
> incubation?
>

Currently nothing!

It seems to be a shame to have other projects waiting for an incubation
> mentor for months or years while another project isn't moving forward in
> the incubation process.
>

I have tried to offset this a bit by moving "incubating projects" to the
bottom of the home page. We could move them off the home page completely.
 Or if you like we could keep a "new projects" bubble on the home page for
projects in there first year.

The motivation for this is projects getting their initial benefit of
joining OSGeo in the form of publicity / marketing due to placement. This
was enough for the initial parties interested in GeoServer incubation to
"drop out" and leave others to do the work. I am not sure if other projects
have a similar experience when joining OSGeo?

Is there a way we can remedy this? For example: Put an incubation project
> on "inactive" status after a certain number of weeks without communication
> to the mentor (or actual progress on incubation tasks). Once the project
> reconnects with the mentor, they can be taken off inactive status. The
> mentor can then decide to work again with the project, or we could put the
> project back on the waiting list.
>

In a PSC setting we have up front that members that are inactive for 6
months will be dropped, and can reapply when they have time.

I bring this up because I haven't heard from the OTB folks in quite a
> while, even after sending a couple of e-mail messages. I'd rather mentor
> another willing project while I wait for them to move forward.
>

Shucks, I just updated them in my slides to "active" status since the last
edit was in August.

Please share your thoughts. I'm just putting the idea on everyone's radar.
>

I think I would be much more comfortable with you, as mentor, putting the
project on "hold" status. You are our bridge to that community - and if
incubation is not on their radar (or priority) then you are in position to
notice.

I note that we are a software foundation and are very sensitive to project
release schedule. We completely understand a project getting stuck making a
release for months (years?) at a stretch.

But yeah a simple status update "we are busy making release X" would be a
kindness.

We can respect a development team as volunteers, but we must also respect
your availability/energy as a volunteer :)

Jody
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