Hi, I’ve looked at Incubator governance trends from 2003 to 2025 to see how the mentor and oversight ecosystem has changed and where we need renewal now.
Some key findings: - Long-tenure mentors remain stable. A small, consistent group of experienced mentors has remained active over the years. There is no indication that this senior group is getting smaller. - Oversight participation is steady when normalised. New people keep joining at a steady rate, and senior oversight is still active. The overall drop in activity is mostly due to fewer podlings, not less engagement. - The medium-tenure layer is the thinnest. This group changes the most and needs renewal the most. However, the decrease is tied to having fewer podlings, not changes in behaviour. - Stalled podlings are now far less common. Earlier releases, introducing governance sooner, setting clearer expectations, and providing stronger mentoring have all helped reduce long-running stagnation cases. Overall, the Incubator ecosystem remains resilient. The main challenge ahead is strengthening the mentor medium-tenure layer. Current efforts, such as training, clearer process guidance, and better onboarding, are directly supporting this goal. The full report can be found here [1] Kind regards, Justin 1. https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/INCUBATOR/Incubator+Health --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
