Building Tech Together

  1. Introduction
  2. The Important Stuff
  3. Starting
  4. Teams
  5. Managing Conflict
  6. Using Git On Your Own
  7. Using Git Together
  8. Intellectual Property
  9. Communicating
  10. Testing
  11. Software Design
  12. Security
  13. Error Handling
  14. Debugging
  15. Automation
  16. Tooling
  17. Process
  18. Research
  19. Fair Play
  20. Wrapping Up
  21. Conclusion
  1. Bibliography
  2. License
  3. Code of Conduct
  4. Contributing
  5. Glossary
  6. Thinking
  7. Research Methods
  8. Onboarding Checklist
  9. Project Evaluation
  10. Personal Evaluation
  11. Further Reading
  12. How to Talk People Into Things
  13. How to Make Yourself Comfortable
  14. How to Join an Existing Project
  15. How to Welcome Newcomers
  16. How to be a Good Research Partner
  17. How to Handle Being Fired
  18. How to Hand Over and Move On
  19. How to Get Started Freelancing
  20. How to Change the World
  21. Index

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Appendix D: Contributing

DRAFT

Please use section heading links to submit feedback.

Contributions are very welcome: please go to this project’s GitHub repository to file an issue or submit a pull request. All contributors must abide by our Code of Conduct.

Making Decisions

This project uses Martha’s Rules [Minahan1986] or consensus decision making:

  1. Before each meeting, anyone who wishes may sponsor a proposal by filing an issue in the GitHub repository tagged “proposal”. Proposals must be filed at least 24 hours before a meeting in order to be considered at that meeting, and must include:

    • a one-line summary (the subject line of the issue)
    • the full text of the proposal
    • any required background information
    • pros and cons
    • possible alternatives

  2. A quorum is established in a meeting if half or more of voting members are present.

  3. Once a person has sponsored a proposal, they are responsible for it. The group may not discuss or vote on the issue unless the sponsor or their delegate is present. The sponsor is also responsible for presenting the item to the group.

  4. After the sponsor presents the proposal, a “sense” vote is cast for the proposal prior to any discussion:

    • Who likes the proposal?
    • Who can live with the proposal?
    • Who is uncomfortable with the proposal?

  5. If all of the group likes or can live with the proposal, it passes immediately.

  6. If most of the group is uncomfortable with the proposal, it is postponed for further rework by the sponsor.

  7. Otherwise, members who are uncomfortable can briefly state their objections. A timer is then set for a brief discussion moderated by the facilitator. After 10 minutes or when no one has anything further to add (whichever comes first), the facilitator calls for a yes-or-no vote on the question: “Should we implement this decision over the stated objections?” If a majority votes “yes” the proposal is implemented. Otherwise, the proposal is returned to the sponsor for further work.