From Storming to Performing: Growing Your Project's Contributor Experience

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The early days of a project seem so clear. Write some code, author some documentation, & post it on GitHub. Then wait for those GitHub stars! But OSS is as much about people as code. We’ll take an honest look at the contributor experience for a sustainable open source project.

We apply the form/storm/norm/perform model as a way to approach growth. With stories, examples, & our own experiences, we share practical guidance on how you can set your open source contributor community on a course to not just survive, but thrive.

Part 1: Form — Tackling first tasks together

• Code
• Website
• Messaging
• Docs

Part 2: Storm — Gaining trust & sorting things out

• Resolving disputes
• Code of Conduct
• Governance
• Coding standards
• Contributors are not employees/coworkers

Part 3: Norm — Sharing responsibility

• Issue management
• Delegating work
• Standardizing communication channels

Part 4: Perform — Optimizing for the long haul

• Retaining maintainers
• Maintainer turnover & recruiting
• Emeritus status