Guides & Documentation
Key resources to support mentors, podlings, and the Incubator PMC. These guides cover onboarding, mentoring practices, governance, reporting, and lessons learned.
Incubator Guides
These guides provide reference material for mentors, podlings, and IPMC members on every aspect of incubation — from getting started to graduation. They represent the written foundation for the Incubator’s training materials and slide decks.
Getting Started / Orientation
-
Podling Orientation Guide — introduction to incubation and ASF culture
-
Podling Committer Onboarding — what new committers need to know
-
Podling PPMC Onboarding — duties and decision-making within the PPMC
-
Mentor Onboarding — step-by-step entry into mentoring
-
Incubator PMC Onboarding — orientation for joining the IPMC
-
Mentor Quick Start Guide — fast orientation for new mentors
Communication and Collaboration
-
Communication in Apache Projects — why mailing lists matter, acceptable chat use, and meeting best practices
-
International & Cultural Awareness — working across languages and time zones
Governance and Culture
-
Governance in Practice — applying the Apache Way in daily decisions
-
Why Governance Matters — why ASF governance underpins sustainable, community-led projects
-
Who Does What — responsibilities across Mentors, PPMCs, the IPMC, and ASF bodies
-
Common Myths — clears up frequent misconceptions about incubation purpose, votes, and timelines
-
Vendor Neutrality — maintaining balanced, independent governance
-
Voting and Consensus in Practice — understanding consensus, voting types, and how decisions are made
-
Selecting a PMC Chair — how to identify and elect project leadership
Legal, Infrastructure, and Project Lifecycle
-
Third-Party Branding and Incubating Projects — guidance on names, logos, and brand use during incubation
-
Legal Basics — essential ASF legal and licensing principles for podlings
-
Privacy & Data Handling — practical rules for collecting, storing, and sharing data in podlings
-
Interacting with ASF Infrastructure — how projects work effectively with ASF Infra and shared systems
-
Measuring Podling Health — assessing community activity, diversity, and mentor engagement
-
Graduation Criteria — what’s required for a podling to graduate
-
Graduation and Beyond — post-graduation transition process
-
Retiring Podlings — how and when to retire an inactive podling
Mentoring, Reporting, and Practice
-
Mentor Handbook — consolidated reference for mentors with links to policy and training materials
-
Common Red Flags — issues mentors should watch for
-
Best Practices for Mentors — examples and scenarios for effective mentoring
-
Mentors’ Tough Conversation Guide — how to navigate difficult discussions
-
Mentor Offboarding — how mentors transition after graduation
-
Project Report Guide — preparing and submitting ASF project reports
-
How To Use the ASF Maturity Model — tool to assess community readiness and sustainability
-
Incubator Case Studies — lessons learned from past podlings
-
Practicing The Apache Way — scenario-based cases from real Incubator situations (anonymized) showing how ASF principles are applied under pressure.