Author: Ben Cotton

Ben formerly led open source messaging at Docker and was the Fedora Program Manager. He is the author of Program Management for Open Source Projects. Ben is an Open Organization Ambassador and frequent conference speaker. His personal website is Funnel Fiasco.

Combinatorial releases won’t help

The general software release workflow looks like something Gutenberg would recognize from 1440 because it actually works pretty well.

Posts

Use care in examples and placeholders

Placeholder configs for services that the user will interact with should be intentionally broken to protect users and innocent bystanders.

Posts

Release announcements must be a part of your process

Release announcements give you a chance to create buzz around your project that can help attract new users and contributors.

Posts

Considering the wishes of upstream projects

Distributions should be opinionated. If you have a sound reason for ignoring upstream’s wishes, do it. But understand you may get no support.

Posts

On “predetermined” outcomes

You’re obliged to listen to the comments in good faith; you’re not obliged to be convinced by them.

Posts

Should you prohibit pseudonyms?

If you’re considering adopting a “real name only” policy for your project, think about what problem you’re actually trying to solve.

Posts

Cancelling meetings isn’t a magical fix

Valuable meetings increase the work that gets done by providing coordination and accountability. Keep the valuable meetings. Cancel the rest.

Posts

What goes in a release schedule?

Tasks that are low-impact and apt to be forgotten if not done on a regular cadence probably belong on a calendar instead of the schedule.

Posts

Avoiding hero work pays off in the long run

Avoid burnout and maintain a culture that people want to be a part of by getting rid of hero work. It’s an investment in the long term.

Posts

How to take notes at meetings

When there’s no chatbot to record meeting notes, you have to do it yourself. This post shares tips for before, during, and after the meeting.

Posts