Differences

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--- mantisbt:development_process [2014/01/14 23:49] – Added 'integrating work items' section. vboctor
+++ mantisbt:development_process [2014/05/13 15:15] (current) – Added 'Changing external libraries' rombert
@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 This process will use the 'work item' as a generic terminology for features or bugs.
 ===== Principles =====
-  * Shipping is what unlocks the value of the checkins we make.  Release often.
   * Treat each other with respect and value diversity of contributors.
-  * Do not get tunnel visioned into your own priorities.
+  * Shipping is what unlocks the value of the checkins we make.  Release often.
+  * Focus on building the best bug tracker, make use of services like http://github.com and http://travisci.com rather than hosting or building your own.
+  * Integrate MantisBT with products users use, rather than providing our own clones.
   * Focus on productivity of the team, rather than just the individual contributor's productivity.
-  * Checkin rights can be earned and lost based on following our principles and process.
+  * Do your best to provide design and code review within a reasonable time frame.
-  * Good contributions from the community are always welcome.
+  * Don't lick too many cookies!  Focus on few things and make solid progress.  Otherwise, you just are blocking others.
-  * Don't lick too many cookies!  Focus on few things and make solid progress.  Otherwise, you just are blocking others from contributing.
+  * Do not get tunnel visioned into your own priorities.
-  * For non-trivial changes, use public branches.
+  * Encourage the community to contribute to the project.
+  * For non-trivial changes, use public branches and get early feedback.
   * Use feature branches, rather than "person" or "team" branches.  Feature branches are easier to review and integrate compared to a branch that has N tangled features.
-  * Avoid big bang huge contributions when possible.
+  * Avoid big bang huge contributions.
+  * Think twice before making changes that make merge between branches expensive.  Such changes may not be necessary or may need to be timed to reduce merging overhead on developers.
+  * Checkin rights can be earned and lost based on following our principles and process.
 ===== Planning a Work Item =====
@@ Line 26: / Line 31: @@
     * Describe the suggested work in the issue.
     * If you need immediate feedback from the core developers, email the dev mailing list with a pointer to your issue.  The feedback should be captured directly in the issue rather than the mailing list.
-  * A work item should include a complete change.  A checkin should never block releasing waiting on follow up work.
+  * A work item should include a complete change.  A checkin should never require follow up work to get to the shippable bar.
   * Communicate early what you are working on to avoid duplication, major rework, etc.
 ===== Targeting a Work Item to Releases =====
   * All work items are expected to be done in 'master' development branch.
-  * Work items should be ported to the appropriate release / stable branches.
+  * Work items should be ported to the appropriate release / stable branches. On principle, only bug fixes should be backported, to avoid introduction of regressions in the stable branches.
-  * Targeted branches should be identified during planning stage of a work item and is considered part .
+  * Targeted branches should be identified during planning stage of a work item and is considered part of the discussion.
 ===== Implementing a Work Item =====
-  * Implement the feature / fix in a branch on your [[http://www.github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt|fork of MantisBT on github.com]].
+  * Implement work item in a branch on your [[http://www.github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt/fork|own Github fork of MantisBT]].
   * Remember to include any corresponding changes to the manual.
+  * When ready, submit a pull request including a description of the changes
 ===== Reviewing a Work Item =====
-  * Developers should code review the change within 3-7 days.
+  * Developers should code review the change within 7 days.  Developers can work on other features in parallel, so this shouldn't block them.
-  * Continuous integration system (Travis) must green light the change in github.
+  * There should be at least 2 sign-offs at checkin time. Even with the sign-offs, the waiting time has to be served.
+  * A developer can request vote or DL discussion if there is no agreement on the pull request.
+  * Continuous integration system (Travis) must green light the pull request in github.
+  * If a fix is needed for a release or there are urgency, the author can email the developers DL with the reasoning.
 ===== Integrating a Work Item =====
@@ Line 51: / Line 62: @@
   * Make sure the change shows up as developed by original author and signed-off by the core developer.
+===== Release and Branch Management =====
+  * Support latest stable branch.
+  * Support branch that is in stabilization mode (e.g. release candidates).
+  * Developers will actively develop on master, but won't support customer instances on it.  Customers are encouraged to use stable or release candidates for production, but not nightly builds.
+  * Goal is to fork for a major release every 6 months.
+  * Goal is to release a minor release every 2 months including targeted fixes.
+  * Security fixes can trigger immediate releases for stable branches.
+===== Changing external libraries =====
+Adding or removing an external library should be discussed first on the developer mailing list.
+The following must be considered when reviewing an external library
+  * Technical fit
+  * License compatibility
+  * Recent development activity
+  * Community size/support
+Changing versions of a library does not need to be discussed, unless there are major changes in the review criteria, e.g. change of license