Overview

Regular reporting is a core part of the Incubation process. Each podling contributes to a single monthly Incubator report, which is submitted by the IPMC to the ASF Board.

The purpose of podling reporting is oversight and self-reflection:

• It provides the IPMC and ASF Board with visibility into community health, governance, and progress.
• It helps the podling assess its own growth, risks, and readiness for graduation.
• Reporting demonstrates accountability and transparency, which are core ASF principles.

Reports should be honest, factual, and balanced and not promotional or overly optimistic. Avoid glossing over difficulties; issues should be openly discussed so that mentors and the IPMC can help resolve them. Reports must be written by humans, not generated by AI tools, as AI-generated text often introduces inaccuracies or misrepresents community activity.

Focus on how the community operates, including decision-making, participation, and consensus-building, rather than the technical details of the codebase. The ASF Board and IPMC are interested in community maturity, not project features or architecture.

Who Reads Podling Reports

• Incubator PMC (IPMC): Reviews podling sections on the monthly report wiki page and prepares a single consolidated Incubator report for the ASF Board.
• Mentors: Ensure the podling’s section is accurate, balanced, and signed off.
• ASF Board: Receives the consolidated Incubator report.

Standard Structure of a Podling Section

Podlings must follow the official Incubator Report Format. Use these standard headings:

• Graduation issues (blockers) -  Only list items that actively block graduation (e.g., missing release, unresolved IP clearance, insufficient community diversity). Do not include roadmap or feature plans.
• Important issues - Non-blocking issues or risks the IPMC should be aware of (e.g., mentor capacity, vendor influence).
• Community development - Participation levels, new committers or PPMC members, changes in diversity, communication patterns, or examples of consensus building.
• Project development - A short, non-technical summary of key progress and why it matters to the community’s evolution.
• Date of last release - Provide the date of the most recent approved release (not release candidates).
• Mentor sign-off - Mentors confirm they have reviewed and endorse the report.

Optional (use sparingly and explain context):

• PMC / Committer counts — totals or additions, if they help illustrate growth or diversity trends.

Please don't change or remove the required headings. The standardized format lets the IPMC and ASF Board quickly assess each podling’s status.

Reporting Timeline and Deadlines

Each month, the Incubator follows a schedule tied to the ASF Board meeting date. 

Typical timeline:

• Podling reports are due two weeks before the ASF Board meeting.
  Podlings must complete their section on the monthly wiki report by this date.
• Mentor sign-off is due: One week before the ASF Board meeting.
  Mentors should review and sign off before the report is finalized.
• Board meeting: The consolidated report is discussed at the ASF Board meeting (usually the third Wednesday of each month).

These are soft deadlines. Occasional lateness is acceptable, but consistent delays may indicate oversight issues or mentor disengagement.

If You Miss the Deadline

If your podling misses the submission deadline:

• Update your section on the monthly wiki page as soon as possible.
• Notify your mentors and, if needed, the general@incubator.apache.org list.
• Mentors who miss the sign-off deadline can still sign off by editing the final Board report before the meeting.
• If your section is missed entirely, the podling will be asked to report again next month.
• Tell the IPMC that you will report next month, so the delay is recorded and acknowledged.
• If you miss several consecutive reports, the IPMC will conduct a roll call with the mentors and PPMC to determine whether the project still has adequate oversight and community engagement to remain in incubation.

Even a short “no significant changes this month” update is better than silence.

How to Submit a Report

1. Monthly Wiki Page
   At the start of each cycle, the Incubator creates a monthly report page on the Incubator wiki, for example:

   https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/INCUBATOR/<Month><Year>
   

   Example:

   https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/INCUBATOR/October2025
   

   Each reporting podling has pre-filled headings on that page.

2. Who Updates It
   Either a PPMC member or a mentor may edit the section, but the podling is responsible for ensuring the report is complete and accurate. Mentors may help refine structure or clarity, but the report must reflect the community’s own voice.

3. When to Report
   Update your section after the end of the month being reported on, so it reflects the latest community activity.

4. Mentor Sign-Off
   Mentors sign off inline on the wiki. If late, they may still sign off by editing the final Board report. Mentors should guide and review the report, but the podling community itself should write it.

What to Include

Podling reports should focus on community health, governance, and readiness for graduation, not on project features.

Include:

• Community: New committers, PPMC changes, diversity of participation, or shifts in communication patterns.
• Releases: Approved releases with dates (not release candidates).
• Governance: Examples of consensus-building, voting, and mentor guidance in practice.
• Issues / Risks: Any community or process concerns.
• Graduation issues: Only items that actively block graduation (e.g., missing releases, unresolved IP issues, low diversity).
• Next Steps: Short-term goals for the next period or actions toward graduation.

When using statistics (e.g., mailing list activity, PRs), explain what they show:

✅ “Mailing list traffic increased after a release, showing renewed engagement.”
❌ “132 messages were sent this month.”

Numbers without context are not meaningful to readers outside the project.

What Not to Include

Avoid:

• Detailed changelogs or technical design notes.
• Product or feature roadmaps.
• Marketing or promotional language.
• Vendor- or company-specific information.
• Raw statistics without interpretation.
• AI-generated text or summaries — these often introduce factual errors or omit important context.

Mentor Review and Sign-Off

Mentors are responsible for:

• Reviewing the podling’s report for accuracy and clarity.
• Ensuring the focus remains on community and governance, not technology.
• If late, sign off by directly editing the final Board report.

Mentors should guide and review the report, but the podling community itself should write it. The report should reflect the community’s understanding and progress in learning the Apache Way. A lack of mentor engagement may trigger an IPMC follow-up.

After Submission

• The IPMC submits one consolidated Incubator report to the ASF Board every month.
• After submission, the monthly wiki page is locked to preserve the report.
• All Incubator and Board reports are publicly archived and form part of the official historical record.
  Anyone can view past reports at:
  https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/INCUBATOR/Reports
• Feedback from the Board or IPMC may be shared with the podling through mentors or on the general mailing list.

Graduation and Transition

When your podling graduates:

• You stop reporting to the Incubator.
• Your new TLP begins reporting directly to the ASF Board, quarterly.
• See the ASF Project Reporting Guidance for post-graduation expectations:
  https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/TRAINING/ASF+Project+Reporting+Guidance

Related Resources

• ASF Project Reporting Guidance
• Incubator Report Format