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DRAFT – FOR REVIEW
This content is subject to review by the IPMC and the project community. This material was developed by individuals outside the individual podling communities, who may view events differently than those directly involved. Some content was AI-generated and may contain errors; however, the material has been reviewed and verified by a human for accuracy. It is provided for training and discussion purposes and may contain minor simplifications or adjustments for clarity.
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About the ASF Incubator Case Studies
The ASF Incubator Case Studies share real lessons from podlings across the Incubator. Each case study brings together projects that faced similar challenges and shows how their communities addressed them.
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Together, these examples build a shared record of ASF experience in community development.
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Purpose and Context
Some podlings join the Incubator with large or complex codebases. Others need time for license checks, governance changes, or a shift from corporate or academic control to open community management.
A prolonged incubation does not necessarily mean that a project is failing. It often means the community is doing careful work to meet ASF standards for openness, verified licensing, and governance. Taking time can be a normal part of meeting ASF expectations for open development, independent decision-making, and clean IP clearance. Being open and clear about progress helps build trust.
These examples show that while long incubations require patience, the IPMC continues to apply consistent oversight and applies oversight based on visible progress and policy expectations and expects measurable progress through verified releases, public reporting, and open governance.
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This case study examines three real-world examples: NetBeans, IoTDB, and Trafodion. Each took the time to complete migration and governance work while maintaining active communication and reportingproviding regular reports.
These examples remind mentors and communities that steady, visible progress matters more than speed. Clear communication helps the IPMC and the wider ASF recognise real work even when it takes time.
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Quick Check
Think about your own podling.
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If any of these are hard to answer, these examples can help your podling improve its ability to stay open and maintain energy during long or complex incubation periods.
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How to Use These Case Studies
These examples show how podlings with complex or lengthy incubations remained open and active. You can use them when preparing reports, explaining timelines, or helping teams stay motivated.
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- share progress clearly, even when slow
- notice progress that isn’t just releases
- keep contributors involved and informed
- support steady IP or migration work through open updates
- make sure graduation reflects readiness, not pressure
- show clear progress toward ASF policy expectations
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Case Studies
These examples show that extended incubation can still lead to success when work, licensing, and communication stay open and steady. Each project followed ASF processes at its own pace and showed persistence and collaboration.
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NetBeans
Entry: Long-standing IDE originally developed by Sun Microsystems and later maintained by Oracle. Donated by Oracle and entered the Apache Incubator in October 2016.
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Key Point: Large, mature codebases can succeed if they remain transparent about migration work, maintain clean IP, and welcome new contributors.
What Mentors and PPMCs Can Do: Encourage clear public tracking of IP work, license checks, and regular updates to maintain high confidence among the community and IPMC.
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IoTDB
Entry: Created at Tsinghua University as part of the TSFile research project, entered the Apache Incubator in November 2018.
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- Releases: The first incubating release appeared in 2019, followed by regular updates through 2020.
- Community growth: Expanded from a university team to include include contributors from companies such as Huawei , and Alibaba, and as well as independent contributors from Europe..
- Mentorship: Mentors encouraged clearer documentation, more English communication, and joining ASF events to connect with the wider community.
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Key Point: Research projects can become strong Apache communities when they release often and communicate clearly.
What Mentors and PPMCs Can Do: Help academic or institutional teams learn ASF discussion and release habits that work for global collaboration.
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Trafodion
Entry: Donated by HP as a transactional SQL-on-HBase database.
Entered the Apache Incubator on May 24 2015.
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- Releases: Produced several incubating releases between 2016 and 2017 that met ASF voting and packaging requirements.
- Governance: Followed ASF processes and showed readiness for graduation at the time.
- Mentorship: Mentors encouraged wider contributor diversity and more visible discussion on mailing lists.
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Across these examples, similar lessons appear:
Podlings that take time to complete migration and licensing can still thrive if they communicate clearly, follow ASF release steps, and show steady progress.
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Common Patterns Seen in Podlings
| Pattern | What It Looks Like | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Large or complex code migration | Many modules, outside dependencies, or legacy IP | Needs careful IP checks and clear updates |
| Multi-year incubation | Long time between entry and graduation | Normal for projects with legal or technical depth |
| Change from company or university control | New contributors added gradually from other places | Builds independence and continuity |
| Visible communication with IPMC | Regular updates on migration, licensing, or releases | Keeps oversight clear and supportive |
| Regular IPMC feedback loops | Mentors summarise progress for IPMC reviews | Builds shared understanding and trust |
| Visible planning for long-term sustainability | Shared roles and diversity visible in reports | Reduces post-graduation risk |
These patterns appear in different forms, but all show practical learning of The Apache Way.
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Early Warning Signs
- Long gaps in mailing-list activity during migration or review
- Few or no progress reports to mentors or IPMC
- Reports are frequently late or missing from the monthly or quarterly schedule
- Work done in private systems instead of public lists
- No new committers added during long incubation
- Branding or website still marked “(incubating)” after graduation
- Graduation discussion based on fatigue instead of readiness
Check recent lists, reports, and status pages to confirm work is open and policy-alignedhappening in public and follows ASF expectations.
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Mentor Challenges and Burnout
Long incubations can test both mentors and podlings. Sustained oversight, long review cycles, or slow progress can lead to mentor fatigue or quiet disengagement.
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- Share mentoring work evenly across the team and ask for help early if one person feels overloaded.
- Keep regular check-ins between mentors to stay coordinated.
- Rotate who drafts reports, reviews releases, or follows up on votes to spread the load.
- If needed, consider inviting an additional mentor or requesting assistance from the IPMC. Adding a new mentor can bring a fresh perspective and energy.
- Mentors can also step down or be rotated out when they are inactive or unavailable — this . This is normal and helps keep the mentoring team balanced.
- Thank mentors for their time and consistency — reliability , reliability matters more than constant activity.
Open communication between mentors, the PPMC, and the IPMC helps prevent burnout and keeps guidance balanced, visible, and supportive.
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Reviewing Complex or Extended Incubation
This table helps mentors and PPMCs discuss whether progress in complex podlings stays visible and healthy.
It is a self-review tool, not an ASF checklist.
| Area | What to Ask | Signs of Healthy Progress | Signs That Need Attention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transparency | Are migration or IP tasks discussed on dev@? | Regular, public updates | Silence or private tracking |
| Motivation | Is progress visible despite slow releases? | Small, celebrated steps | Declining energy |
| Governance | Is leadership widening beyond sponsors? | New committers, active contributors | One company dominates |
| Communication | Is the IPMC kept informed? | Reports explain wins and blockers | Short or missing updates |
| Sustainability | Is there a post-graduation plan? | Shared roles, active mentors | Weak continuity |
| Mentorship | Are mentors visible and consistent? | Mentors guide without taking over | Silence or mixed advice |
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Using These Case Studies
For Mentors
- Read one example that matches your podling’s situation.
- Keep communication, releases, and updates steady.
- Remind podlings that governance and openness are progress too.
- Use the Early Warning Signs to spot risks before reports or votes.
For PPMC Members
- Review these examples as a team.
- Highlight visible progress in reports.
- Share small updates even before major releases.
- Treat long incubation as shared learning, not delay.
Optional reuse
These examples can also support mentor–PPMC discussions.
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Mentor and PPMC Reference Actions – Supporting Complex or Extended Incubation
Make IP and migration work visible
Post short monthly notes on clearance, dependency checks, or restructuring. (NetBeans)Celebrate small wins
Acknowledge steps such as the first ASF build, clearing the submodule, or becoming a new committer. (IoTDB)Document clearly
Track unfinished work on the wiki or in reports so others can help. (NetBeans)Support clear communication
Translate key materials or summaries if needed, so everyone can follow. (IoTDB)Be patient with global communication
Encourage asynchronous discussion and summaries to allow contributors in different time zones to stay on track. (All)Plan for independence early
Rotate release leads and report authors before graduation. (Trafodion)Keep governance visible
Show how decisions are made, not just what was achieved. (All)Don’t rush graduation
Graduate when ready—after ready, only after showing diversity and proper Apache releases, not from fatigue. (Trafodion)Keep morale high
Thank contributors for their persistence during review periods. (All)Report visible progress
In each report, describe what was done and learned, not just plans. (All)
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Common Mentor and PPMC Pitfalls
- Seeing long incubation as failure instead of process
- Handling license or IP work privately instead of openly
- Pushing for early graduation out of frustration
- Focusing only on code, not communication
- Forgetting post-graduation sustainability and branding cleanup
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Linking to ASF Oversight
Mentors and PPMCs should make long-term progress visible in podling and board reports. The IPMC values openness, verified licensing, and regular communication more than speed of graduation. When preparing for graduation, describe visible behaviour, not only numbers.
Examples of Evidence for Podling Reports
- Mailing-list updates about IP or dependency progress (NetBeans)
- Apache-compliant releases and vote records (IoTDB)
- New committers or contributors joining during long incubation (IoTDB, NetBeans)
- Governance documents updated during migration (NetBeans)
- Diversity planning and reflection after graduation (Trafodion)
Mentors can also stay in touch briefly after graduation to as PMC members to make sure the new PMC is comfortable with releases, branding, and reporting routines.
These examples demonstrate the community learning ASF practices and maintaining accountability in public.
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ASF Cultural Perspective
Patience and openness are core to openness are widely understood as part of The Apache Way. Long or complex incubations test a community’s ability to stay transparent, cooperative, and self-motivated. Mentors build trust by keeping progress visible and process compliant, not by setting deadlines. A PPMC shows maturity when it communicates steady progress through public discussion, proper releases, and open documentation. Consistency and openness foster trust, and that trust in turn sustains success.
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A Shared Record of Experience
This case study summarises information from ASF public mailing lists, podling reports, and status pages. It was written from the perspective of observers outside the individual podling communities. Community members may hold differing views on events or timelines, and minor simplifications may be made for clarity or training purposes. It includes historical information drawn from public ASF sources and does not represent the current state of any project mentioned. This content may contain errors or omissions due to AI-generated elements. However, the material has been reviewed and verified by a human for accuracy. These factors do not reduce its value as a reference for understanding patterns of incubation and global collaboration.
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