1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose of This Guide

Welcome to the Apache Incubator PMC! This guide is designed to help you understand your responsibilities, engage effectively in project oversight, and contribute to the health of the Incubator. Whether you're new to the IPMC or returning, this document provides essential context and practical guidance.

1.2 Initial Checklist

Once you’ve joined the IPMC:

  • Subscribe to general@incubator.apache.org and private@incubator.apache.org.
  • Review the Incubator Policy and IPMC responsibilities.
  • Familiarize yourself with current podlings and their mentors.

2. Welcome from the Incubator Chair

Thank you for serving as a member of the Incubator PMC. Your insight and participation help guide new communities on their journey to becoming independent, sustainable Apache projects. The strength of the Incubator depends on active, thoughtful engagement by members like you. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions or offer suggestions on the general@ list.

3. IPMC Responsibilities

3.1 What the IPMC Does

As a member of the IPMC, you:

  • Review and vote on podling releases and graduation proposals.
  • Monitor the health and governance of podlings.
  • Assist in resolving issues that mentors escalate.
  • Uphold ASF policies and ensure podling compliance.

3.2 Your Role

Your role is not to micromanage, but to ensure that podlings:

  • Are on track to become successful, self-governing ASF projects.
  • Are growing diverse, sustainable communities.
  • Understand and follow The Apache Way and ASF policies.

While mentors provide day-to-day guidance to podlings, the IPMC ensures incubation-wide oversight, policy adherence, and healthy governance. Mentors escalate serious issues to the IPMC when necessary.

3.3 Key Activities

  • Participate in Incubator mailing list discussions.
  • Join release and graduation votes.
  • Share observations, raise flags, and celebrate wins.

4. Participating in Release and Graduation Votes

  • Ensure votes follow ASF policy.
  • Look for license compliance, release process adherence, and appropriate community oversight.
  • Graduation votes should assess readiness across community, governance, and process, not just code maturity.

5. Monitoring Podling Health

Watch for:

  • Unresponsiveness or poor communication.
  • Lack of release progress.
  • Dominance by a single company or individual.
  • Poor community diversity or stagnation.
  • Missed or inadequate mentorship.

6. Reviewing Releases

Check:

  • License and NOTICE files.
  • Dependency license compliance.
  • Release voting held on the appropriate list (usually dev@).
  • Inclusion of compiled code in source artifacts.
  • Project branding and naming compliance.

Don’t assume mentors catch everything, second eyes help.

7. Graduation Criteria

Podlings must demonstrate:

  • A sustainable, growing, and self-governing community.
  • Use of ASF infrastructure and processes.
  • Governance aligned with The Apache Way.
  • At least one successful ASF release was created and voted on without the need for mentor intervention.
  • Compliance with licensing and branding policy.
  • Transparent and merit-based addition of new committers and PPMC members.

Graduation is a judgment call. Use the Maturity Model as a guide.

8. Communication and Conduct

  • Model respectful, inclusive communication.
  • Keep discussions on ASF-controlled mailing lists.
  • Avoid private channels for ASF decisions.
  • Listen first; act second.
  • Escalate disruptive or abusive behavior as needed.
  • Ensure key project decisions, such as adding committers and PPMC members, are made transparently and with proper community input, following ASF norms.

If mentors or communities escalate issues (e.g., licensing concerns, community breakdown, or Code of Conduct violations), the IPMC is responsible for triage and response. Use private@incubator.apache.org for sensitive matters or concerns that require broader attention.

9. Common Pitfalls to Watch For

  • Overly passive mentors.
  • Podlings failing to engage mailing lists.
  • Releases with licensing issues.
  • Projects “parking” in the Incubator for too long.
  • Duplicate governance structures or confusion with external entities.

10. Getting Started as an IPMC Member

Start small:

  • Review a release vote.
  • Observe or join a graduation discussion.
  • Share a suggestion on general@.

You don’t have to be an expert in everything. The Incubator benefits from collective experience. Even small, consistent contributions help podlings move forward.

11. Participating in Graduation Reviews

As an IPMC member, your vote and judgment matter. Graduation threads are posted to general@incubator.apache.org, and your feedback helps the Incubator and Board evaluate project readiness.

Tips for reviewing graduation proposals:

  • Check for community diversity (not dominated by a single vendor).
  • Review recent releases. Were they done under ASF process and licenses?
  • Look at mailing list activity and community engagement.
  • Evaluate signs of independent governance and transparency.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If something feels off, raise it politely.

12. Time Commitment

  • Expect a couple of hours per month.
  • Engage in release and graduation votes.
  • Participate in relevant discussions on Incubator lists.
  • More active involvement is always welcome.

13. Conflict of Interest

  • Step back from votes or discussions where you have a conflict.
  • Transparency is key, when in doubt, ask on the private@ list.

14. How to Step Down

IPMC membership is voluntary. If you're inactive or no longer wish to serve, notify the private@ list and request to be removed. Stepping back is always better than going silent. You can always join the IPMC again when you want.

15. Contact Points and Support

Do you need help or would you like to engage further? These resources will help:

16. Glossary of Terms

  • ASF (Apache Software Foundation): The nonprofit organization that hosts Apache projects.
  • Podling: A project in incubation, on the path to becoming a top-level Apache project.
  • IPMC (Incubator PMC): The Project Management Committee overseeing the Incubator.
  • PPMC (Podling PMC): The group managing a podling’s development and community during incubation.
  • Mentor: An IPMC member assigned to guide and support a podling during incubation.
  • The Apache Way: ASF’s model for community-led, transparent, merit-based project governance.
  • Lazy Consensus: A decision-making process where silence implies consent after a proposal is shared publicly for comment.
  • Binding Vote: A vote from an IPMC member that counts toward official Incubator decisions (e.g., +1 binding on a release).
  • Graduation: The process by which a podling becomes a full Apache top-level project.

17. Contributing to the Incubator Itself

The Incubator is an evolving project—and IPMC members help shape it.

  • Do you have a suggestion to improve a policy, process, or tooling?
  • Would you like to help clarify documentation or guide new mentors?
  • Noticed something unclear or outdated?

You are encouraged to bring it up! Start a discussion on general@incubator.apache.org or, if sensitive, private@incubator.apache.org.

Your contributions help not just current podlings, but the next generation of Apache projects.

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