Global and Cross-Language Collaboration

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.

About the ASF Incubator Case Studies

The ASF Incubator Case Studies collect real lessons from podlings across the Incubator. Each case study groups together projects that faced similar challenges and shows how mentors and communities addressed them.

These case studies are intended as reference material for mentors, PPMC members (Podling Project Management Committees), and contributors who want to understand how communities have grown and matured during incubation.

Each case study includes:

• examples based on verified ASF records and reports
• common challenges and how they were handled
• short questions to think about for your own project
• direct links to ASF policies and guides

You can use these pages to:

• prepare for mentoring or helping lead a podling
• compare your project’s progress with earlier examples
• support six-month reviews or graduation discussions
• reflect on community growth and transparency

Together, these examples build a shared record of ASF experience in community development.

Purpose and Context

Many podlings begin with contributors from a single organisation, country, or language community.
To succeed within the ASF, adapt to open, asynchronous communication in English, the common language of ASF mailing lists, so that everyone can participate equally and decisions remain transparent.

For mentors, this case study shows how to help projects transition from local habits to global, list-based communication while maintaining inclusivity.
For PPMC members, it demonstrates that multilingual participation can strengthen—not complicate—community health when handled openly.

This case study draws on four examples: ECharts, IoTDB, Kylin, and APISIX.
Each represents a community that originated from regional roots and evolved into a globally visible, collaborative Apache project.

Quick Check

Think about your own podling.

• Are important decisions discussed publicly on mailing lists, not in private or local chat channels?
• Do subject lines and summaries make it easy for contributors from other regions to follow the conversation?
• Are time zones and holidays from multiple regions considered when setting vote windows?
• Is it easy for a new contributor from another language background to find your documentation and understand how to get involved?

If any of these raise uncertainty, the examples below show how past projects built openness and accessibility step by step.

How to Use These Case Studies

These case studies highlight common turning points in how podlings learned to communicate globally. You can use them when mentoring, preparing reports, or reviewing progress toward graduation.

They can help you:

• recognise behaviours that show openness and transparency
• identify risks from off-list or language-limited discussion
• support visible, inclusive communication practices
• apply ASF values of consensus, clarity, and community growth

Case Studies

These examples show how different podlings built public, inclusive communication practices. Each faced challenges in language, geography, or communication habits, and grew stronger by aligning with ASF norms.

ECharts

ECharts entered incubation in August 2018 from Baidu, where most contributors initially spoke Chinese.
Early project activity focused on code and local discussion, but mentors helped the team move decision-making to the dev@ mailing list.
Contributors began writing bilingual documentation and summaries to enable international participants to follow the progress.
This transition, although gradual, enabled developers from various regions to participate in discussions and enhanced the visibility of decisions across the ASF.
ECharts graduated in July 2021 as a Top-Level Project.

Key Point: Public communication, even across languages, helps communities grow globally.
What Mentors and PPMCs Can Do: Encourage bilingual summaries and patient discussion. Support translation where practical, but keep all official decisions on ASF lists.

IoTDB

IoTDB joined the Apache Incubator in November 2018, originating from academic work at Tsinghua University.
The team began with documentation written primarily in Chinese and technical discussion among local contributors.
Mentors encouraged consistent use of dev@ for all proposals and reviews, even when English phrasing felt awkward at first.
Over time, contributors from multiple companies and countries joined, strengthening project governance.
The community produced regular Apache releases and clear English documentation, which helped new participants learn both the software and ASF processes.
IoTDB graduated as a Top-Level Project in September 2020.

Key Point: Clear communication and a shared understanding can develop naturally through transparent discussions.
What Mentors and PPMCs Can Do: Remind contributors that imperfect English is welcome if discussions are open, respectful, and visible to all.

Kylin

Kylin entered incubation in November 2014, one of the earliest ASF projects initiated in China.
Its development began at eBay and attracted contributors from several companies and universities.
During incubation, mentors encouraged the use of mailing lists for all planning and release votes to help participants across time zones stay informed.
Regular public reports and asynchronous decision-making processes established good habits that continue to this day.
Kylin graduated as a Top-Level Project in December 2015, becoming an early model for how non-US teams could adapt to the Apache Way.

Key Point: Open mailing list communication builds continuity across organisations and regions.
What Mentors and PPMCs Can Do: Emphasise that mailing lists are not just a rule—they are what make Apache governance transparent and inclusive.

APISIX

APISIX joined the Incubator in October 2019 with strong initial participation from a single organisation and a fast-moving, distributed team.
From the start, mentors encouraged public planning and release discussions on dev@, making it easy for contributors from other regions to join in.
As new participants became active, responsibility for releases and documentation broadened beyond the initial group.
The project maintained a steady cadence of Apache releases and focused on inclusive communication around proposals and votes.
APISIX graduated in July 2020 and continues as a globally used Top-Level Project.

Key Point: Visibility and openness attract a diverse range of contributors.
What Mentors and PPMCs Can Do: Keep proposals and votes open for input from all time zones, and thank those who document or summarise decisions.

Across these examples, the shared lesson is simple:
Projects become stronger and more sustainable when communication happens publicly, with clarity and patience, across language and regional differences.
The shift to transparent, list-based decision-making helps ensure that no single group controls the conversation.

Common Patterns Seen in Podlings

These patterns appear in many successful podlings.
Each one reflects how global collaboration builds naturally when communication is transparent and welcoming.

Early Warning Signs

• Key decisions happen in private chat or local language channels
• Threads lack summaries, making them hard to follow later
• Vote windows close too quickly for other regions
• New contributors hesitate to post because of language concerns
• Reports describe technical activity but omit community participation

Check recent mailing list archives and votes.
If most messages come from one time zone or language group, it may be time to pause and encourage broader participation.

Reviewing Your Community’s Global Collaboration

This table helps mentors and PPMCs discuss what is working and where communication can improve.
It is a self-review tool, not an ASF checklist.

Using These Examples

For Mentors

• Review one or two examples that resemble your podling’s situation.
• Choose one improvement from the Reference Actions section to encourage this month.
• Use the Early Warning Signs list to identify communication gaps before each report.

For PPMC Members

• Read one example together as a team.
• Use the table above to pick one area to strengthen.
• Try one visible change, such as adding summaries or extending vote windows.

Optional reuse

This material can also support joint mentor–PPMC reflection sessions on community health and communication.

Mentor and PPMC Reference Actions – Supporting Global Collaboration

1. Encourage use of public lists
   Move all key decisions and votes to dev@ where everyone can follow. (Kylin)

2. Write bilingual or clear summaries
   Post short English recaps when discussions include local language. (ECharts)

3. Allow longer discussion windows
   Keep votes open for at least 72 hours so global contributors can respond. (APISIX)

4. Link decisions to issues
   Include context URLs in [DISCUSS] and [VOTE] threads to help newcomers understand the decisions made. (IoTDB)

5. Model patience and clarity
   Thank contributors who take the time to explain or translate ideas for others. (ECharts)

6. Recognise openness in reports
   Note progress on public discussion, summaries, and time-zone inclusivity. (Kylin)

7. Track participation diversity
   Observe which regions and companies are active on lists each quarter. (APISIX, IoTDB)

Common Mentor and PPMC Pitfalls

• Letting decisions remain in chat or private channels (ECharts’ early stage)
• Assuming everyone can read long threads without summaries (IoTDB)
• Closing votes too quickly for international input (APISIX)
• Forgetting that a clear process is part of inclusion (Kylin)

Linking to ASF Oversight

Mentors and PPMCs should demonstrate global collaboration in podling reports. The IPMC looks for clear evidence of open, list-based discussions and participation across regions.

When preparing for graduation, describe specific behaviours, not just technical milestones.

Examples of Evidence for Podling Reports

• Consistent public discussions and vote archives (Kylin)
• Bilingual or summarised decision threads (ECharts)
• Clear links between mailing list discussions and issues (IoTDB)
• Vote windows accommodating multiple regions (APISIX)

These examples show that the community is embracing the ASF values of transparency, inclusion, and asynchronous collaboration.

ASF Cultural Perspective

Global collaboration at Apache depends on open communication. Mailing lists allow anyone, regardless of language, company, or location, to read, reply, and contribute equally. Communities that communicate publicly and patiently become stronger, more diverse, and more sustainable. Mentors and PPMCs share responsibility for ensuring those habits take root early in incubation.

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.