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| --- | ||
| layout: blog | ||
| title: "Spotlight on SIG ContribEx" | ||
| date: 2023-08-14 | ||
| slug: sig-contribex-spotlight-2023 | ||
| author: Fyka Ansari | ||
| --- | ||
|
|
||
| **Author**: Fyka Ansari | ||
|
|
||
| Welcome to the world of Kubernetes and its vibrant contributor | ||
| community! In this blog post, we'll be shining a spotlight on the | ||
| [Special Interest Group for Contributor | ||
| Experience](https://github.com/kubernetes/community/blob/master/sig-contributor-experience/README.md) | ||
| (SIG ContribEx), an essential component of the Kubernetes project. | ||
|
|
||
| SIG ContribEx in Kubernetes is responsible for developing and | ||
| maintaining a healthy and productive community of contributors to the | ||
| project. This involves identifying and addressing bottlenecks that may | ||
| hinder the project's growth and feature velocity, such as pull request | ||
| latency and the number of open pull requests and issues. | ||
|
|
||
| SIG ContribEx works to improve the overall contributor experience by | ||
| creating and maintaining guidelines, tools, and processes that | ||
| facilitate collaboration and communication among contributors. They | ||
| also focus on community building and support, including outreach | ||
| programs and mentorship initiatives to onboard and retain new | ||
| contributors. | ||
|
|
||
| Ultimately, the role of SIG ContribEx is to foster a welcoming and | ||
| inclusive environment that encourages contribution and supports the | ||
| long-term sustainability of the Kubernetes project. | ||
|
|
||
| In this blog post, [Fyka Ansari](https://twitter.com/1fyka) interviews | ||
| [Kaslin Fields](https://twitter.com/kaslinfields), a DevRel Engineer | ||
| at Google, who is a chair of SIG ContribEx, and [Madhav | ||
| Jivrajani](https://twitter.com/MadhavJivrajani), a Software Engineer | ||
| at VMWare who serves as a SIG ContribEx Tech Lead. This interview | ||
| covers various aspects of SIG ContribEx, including current | ||
| initiatives, exciting developments, and how interested individuals can | ||
| get involved and contribute to the group. It provides valuable | ||
| insights into the workings of SIG ContribEx and highlights the | ||
| importance of its role in the Kubernetes ecosystem. | ||
|
|
||
| ### Introductions | ||
|
|
||
| **Fyka:** Let's start by diving into your background and how you got | ||
| involved in the Kubernetes ecosystem. Can you tell us more about that | ||
| journey? | ||
|
|
||
| **Kaslin:** I first got involved in the Kubernetes ecosystem through | ||
| my mentor, Jonathan Rippy, who introduced me to containers during my | ||
| early days in tech. Eventually, I transitioned to a team working with | ||
| containers, which sparked my interest in Kubernetes when it was | ||
| announced. While researching Kubernetes in that role, I eagerly sought | ||
| opportunities to engage with the containers/Kubernetes community. It | ||
| was not until my subsequent job that I found a suitable role to | ||
| contribute consistently. I joined SIG ContribEx, specifically in the | ||
| Contributor Comms subproject, to both deepen my knowledge of | ||
| Kubernetes and support the community better. | ||
|
|
||
| **Madhav:** My journey with Kubernetes began when I was a student, | ||
| searching for interesting and exciting projects to work on. With my | ||
| peers, I discovered open source and attended The New Contributor | ||
| Workshop organized by the Kubernetes community. The workshop not only | ||
| provided valuable insights into the community structure but also gave | ||
| me a sense of warmth and welcome, which motivated me to join and | ||
| remain involved. I realized that collaboration is at the heart of | ||
| open-source communities, and to get answers and support, I needed to | ||
| contribute and do my part. I started working on issues in ContribEx, | ||
| particularly focusing on GitHub automation, despite not fully | ||
| understanding the task at first. I continued to contribute for various | ||
| technical and non-technical aspects of the project, finding it to be | ||
| one of the most professionally rewarding experiences in my life. | ||
|
|
||
| **Fyka:** That's such an inspiration in itself! I'm sure beginners who | ||
| are reading this got the ultimate motivation to take their first | ||
| steps. Embracing the Learning journey, seeking mentorship, and | ||
| engaging with the Kubernetes community can pave the way for exciting | ||
| opportunities in the tech industry. Your stories proved the importance | ||
| of starting small and being proactive, just like Madhav said Don't be | ||
| afraid to take on tasks, even if you're uncertain at first. | ||
|
|
||
| ### Primary goals and scope | ||
|
|
||
| **Fyka:** Given your experience as a member of SIG ContribEx, could | ||
| you tell us a bit about the group's primary goals and initiatives? Its | ||
| current focus areas? What do you see as the scope of SIG ContribEx and | ||
| the impact it has on the Kubernetes community? | ||
|
|
||
| **Kaslin:** SIG ContribEx's primary goals are to simplify the | ||
| contributions of Kubernetes contributors and foster a welcoming | ||
| community. It collaborates with other Kubernetes SIGs, such as | ||
| planning the Contributor Summit at KubeCon, ensuring it meets the | ||
| needs of various groups. The group's impact is evident in projects | ||
| like updating org membership policies and managing critical platforms | ||
| like Zoom, YouTube, and Slack. Its scope encompasses making the | ||
| contributor experience smoother and supporting the overall Kubernetes | ||
| community. | ||
|
|
||
| **Madhav:** The Kubernetes project has vertical SIGs and cross-cutting | ||
| SIGs, ContribEx is a deeply cross-cutting SIG, impacting virtually | ||
| every area of the Kubernetes community. Adding to Kaslin, | ||
| sustainability in the Kubernetes project and community is critical now | ||
| more than ever, it plays a central role in addressing critical issues, | ||
| such as maintainer succession, by facilitating cohorts for SIGs to | ||
| train experienced community members to take on leadership | ||
| roles. Excellent examples include SIG CLI and SIG Apps, leading to the | ||
| onboarding of new reviewers. Additionally, SIG ContribEx is essential | ||
| in managing GitHub automation tools, including bots and commands used | ||
| by contributors for interacting with [Prow](https://docs.prow.k8s.io/) | ||
| and other automation (label syncing, group and GitHub team management, | ||
| etc). | ||
|
|
||
| ### Beginner's guide! | ||
|
|
||
| **Fyka:** I'll never forget talking to Kaslin when I joined the | ||
| community and needed help with contributing. Kaslin, your quick and | ||
| clear answers were a huge help in getting me started. Can you both | ||
| give some tips for people new to contributing to Kubernetes? What | ||
| makes SIG ContribEx a great starting point? Why should beginners and | ||
| current contributors consider it? And what cool opportunities are | ||
| there for newbies to jump in? | ||
|
|
||
| **Kaslin:** If you want to contribute to Kubernetes for the first | ||
| time, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. A good option is | ||
| to join SIG ContribEx as it offers great opportunities to know and | ||
| serve the community. Within SIG ContribEx, various subprojects allow | ||
| you to explore different parts of the Kubernetes project while you | ||
| learn how contributions work. Once you know a bit more, it’s common | ||
| for you to move to other SIGs within the project, and we think that’s | ||
| wonderful. While many newcomers look for "good first issues" to start | ||
| with, these opportunities can be scarce and get claimed | ||
| quickly. Instead, the real benefit lies in attending meetings and | ||
| getting to know the community. As you learn more about the project and | ||
| the people involved, you'll be better equipped to offer your help, and | ||
| the community will be more inclined to seek your assistance when | ||
| needed. As a co-lead for the Contributor Comms subproject, I can | ||
| confidently say that it's an excellent place for beginners to get | ||
| involved. We have supportive leads and particularly beginner-friendly | ||
| projects too. | ||
|
|
||
| **Madhav:** To begin, read the [SIG | ||
| README](https://github.com/kubernetes/community/tree/master#readme) on | ||
| GitHub, which provides an overview of the projects the SIG | ||
| manages. While attending meetings is beneficial for all SIGs, it's | ||
| especially recommended for SIG ContribEx, as each subproject gets | ||
| dedicated slots for updates and areas that need help. If you can't | ||
| attend in real-time due to time zone differences, you can catch the | ||
| meeting recordings or | ||
| [Notes](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K3vjCZ9C3LwYrOJOhztQtFuDQCe-urv-ewx1bI8IPVQ/edit?usp=sharing) | ||
| later. | ||
|
|
||
| ### Skills you learn! | ||
|
|
||
| **Fyka:** What skills do you look for when bringing in new | ||
| contributors to SIG ContribEx, from passion to expertise? | ||
| Additionally, what skills can contributors expect to develop while | ||
| working with SIG ContribEx? | ||
|
|
||
| **Kaslin:** Skills folks need to have or will acquire vary depending | ||
| on what area of ContribEx they work upon. Even within a subproject, a | ||
| range of skills can be useful and/or developed. For example, the tech | ||
| lead role involves technical tasks and overseeing automation, while | ||
| the social media lead role requires excellent communication | ||
| skills. Working with SIG ContribEx allows contributors to acquire | ||
| various skills based on their chosen subproject. By participating in | ||
| meetings, listening, learning, and taking on tasks related to their | ||
| interests, they can develop and hone these skills. Some subprojects | ||
| may require more specialized skills, like program management for the | ||
| mentoring project, but all contributors can benefit from offering | ||
| their talents to help teach others and contribute to the community. | ||
|
|
||
| ### Sub-projects under SIG ContribEx | ||
|
|
||
| **Fyka:** SIG ContribEx has several smaller projects. Can you tell me | ||
| about the aims of these projects and how they've impacted the | ||
| Kubernetes community? | ||
|
|
||
| **Kaslin:** Some SIGs have one or two subprojects and some have none | ||
| at all, but in SIG ContribEx, we have **eleven**! | ||
|
|
||
| Here’s a list of them and their respective mission statements | ||
|
|
||
| 1. **Community**: Manages the community repository, documentation, | ||
| and operations. | ||
| 2. **Community management**: Handles communication platforms and | ||
| policies for the community. | ||
| 3. **Contributor-comms**: Focuses on promoting the success of | ||
| Kubernetes contributors through marketing. | ||
| 4. **Contributors-documentation**: Writes and maintains documentation | ||
| for contributing to Kubernetes. | ||
| 5. **Devstats**: Maintains and updates the [Kubernetes | ||
| statistics](https://k8s.devstats.cncf.io) website. | ||
| 6. **Elections**: Oversees community elections and maintains related | ||
| documentation and software. | ||
| 7. **Events**: Organizes contributor-focused events like the | ||
| Contributor Summit. | ||
| 8. **Github management**: Manages permissions, repositories, and | ||
| groups on GitHub. | ||
| 9. **Mentoring**: Develop programs to help contributors progress in | ||
| their contributions. | ||
| 10. **Sigs-GitHub-actions**: Repository for GitHub actions related to | ||
| all SIGs in Kubernetes. | ||
| 11. **Slack-infra**: Creates and maintains tools and automation for | ||
| Kubernetes Slack. | ||
|
|
||
|
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||
| **Madhav:** Also, Devstats is critical from a sustainability | ||
| standpoint! | ||
|
|
||
| _(If you are willing to learn more and get involved with any of these | ||
| sub-projects, check out the_ [SIG ContribEx | ||
| README](https://github.com/kubernetes/community/blob/master/sig-contributor-experience/README.md#subprojects)). | ||
|
|
||
| ### Accomplishments | ||
|
|
||
| **Fyka:** With that said, any SIG-related accomplishment that you’re | ||
| proud of? | ||
|
|
||
| **Kaslin:** I'm proud of the accomplishments made by SIG ContribEx and | ||
| its contributors in supporting the community. Some of the recent | ||
| achievements include: | ||
|
|
||
| 1. _Establishment of the elections subproject_: Kubernetes is a massive | ||
| project, and ensuring smooth leadership transitions is | ||
| crucial. The contributors in this subproject organize fair and | ||
| consistent elections, which helps keep the project running | ||
| effectively. | ||
| 2. _New issue triage proces_: With such a large open-source project | ||
| like Kubernetes, there's always a lot of work to be done. To | ||
| ensure things progress safely, we implemented new labels and | ||
| updated functionality for issue triage using our PROW tool. This | ||
| reduces bottlenecks in the workflow and allows leaders to | ||
| accomplish more. | ||
| 3. _New org membership requirements_: Becoming an org member in | ||
| Kubernetes can be overwhelming for newcomers. We view org | ||
| membership as a significant milestone for contributors aiming to | ||
| take on leadership roles. We recently updated the rules to | ||
| automatically remove privileges from inactive members, making sure | ||
| that the right people have access to the necessary tools and | ||
| responsibilities. | ||
|
|
||
| Overall, these accomplishments have greatly benefited our fellow | ||
| contributors and strengthened the Kubernetes community. | ||
|
|
||
| ### Upcoming initiatives | ||
|
|
||
| **Fyka:** Could you give us a sneak peek into what's next for the | ||
| group? We're excited to hear about upcoming projects and initiatives | ||
| from this dynamic team. | ||
|
|
||
| **Madhav:** We’d love for more groups to sign up for mentoring | ||
| cohorts! We’re probably going to have to spend some time polishing the | ||
| process around that. | ||
|
|
||
| ### Final thoughts | ||
|
|
||
| **Fyka:** As we wrap up our conversation, would you like to share some | ||
| final thoughts for those interested in contributing to SIG ContribEx | ||
| or getting involved with Kubernetes? | ||
|
|
||
| **Madhav**: Kubernetes is meant to be overwhelming and difficult | ||
| initially! You’re coming into something that’s taken multiple people, | ||
| from multiple countries, multiple years to build. Embrace that | ||
| diversity! Use the high entropy initially to collide around and gain | ||
| as much knowledge about the project and community as possible before | ||
| you decide to settle in your niche. | ||
|
|
||
| **Fyka:** Thank You Madhav and Kaslin, it was an absolute pleasure | ||
| chatting about SIG ContribEx and your experiences as a member. It's | ||
| clear that the role of SIG ContribEx in Kubernetes is significant and | ||
| essential, ensuring scalability, growth and productivity, and I hope | ||
| this interview inspires more people to get involved and contribute to | ||
| Kubernetes. I wish SIG ContribEx all the best, and can't wait to see | ||
| what exciting things lie ahead! | ||
|
|
||
| ## What next? | ||
|
|
||
| We love meeting new contributors and helping them in investigating | ||
| different Kubernetes project spaces. If you are interested in getting | ||
| more involved with SIG ContribEx, here are some resources for you to | ||
| get started: | ||
|
|
||
| * [GitHub](https://github.com/kubernetes/community/tree/master/sig-contributor-experience#contributor-experience-special-interest-group) | ||
| * [Mailing list](https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-sig-contribex) | ||
| * [Open Community | ||
| Issues/PRs](https://github.com/kubernetes/community/labels/sig%2Fcontributor-experience) | ||
| * [Slack](https://slack.k8s.io/) | ||
| * [Slack channel | ||
| #sig-contribex](https://kubernetes.slack.com/messages/sig-contribex) | ||
| * SIG Contribex also hosted a [KubeCon | ||
| talk](https://youtu.be/5Bs1bs6iFmY) about studying Kubernetes | ||
| Contributor experiences. |