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

Tips for managing an open source community during the forming, storming, and norming phases

• Frequently revisit documentation such as the quick start guide and maintainer guide to ensure they are up to date and remove barriers of entry
• Acknowledge that disputes are unavoidable and have a code of conduct and governance in place before incidents occur
• Establish coding standards to prevent mundane issues and remove nitpicky little problems
• Respect volunteers as contributors and avoid treating them like employees
• During the norming phase, revisit issue management strategies and use labels to streamline triaging and delegation of work

In the storming phase, interpersonal conflict can arise and cause substantial damage to a project. It is important to have a code of conduct and governance in place to protect the project and community. Additionally, it is crucial to respect volunteers as contributors and not treat them like employees. By establishing coding standards and revisiting issue management strategies during the norming phase, the core maintainers can efficiently sort through large amounts of information and delegate work as the project grows.

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