Project Graduation Checklist

The official copy of this document lives at http://www.osgeo.org/incubator/process/project_graduation_checklist.html

= Document Status =

IncCom Document Number: X

Version: 1.1. Updates since 1.0 are in red.

Last Updated: December 2008.

Status: draft

= Purpose =

The purpose of this checklist is to determine whether an Incubator Project produces quality products, remains true to its stated licence and is sustainable. Satisfying this checklist is a pre-requisite for graduation.

A project should have institutionalized the processes in this list or provide justification why the process is not used.

= Terms and Definitions =


 * Mentor : A member of the Incubation Committee chosen to assist a Project through the Incubation Process.
 * Institutionalized Process : A documented process which which addresses a need and is actively in use. It typically takes months before a process becomes institutionalized. A more detailed definition of institutionalization is found in the Capability Maturity Model (CMMI)

= Checklist =

License

 * 1) The code has been adequately vetted to assure it is all properly licensed (a.k.a provenance review).
 * 2) All code contributors have agreed to abide by the project's license policy.

Processes

 * 1) The project has a suitable governance policy and project management committee established that ensures decisions are made, documented and adhered to?
 * 2) The developer community works in a healthy way, open to input, new members and reaching consensus on decisions. Ideally, the developers come from a diversity of backgrounds as there will be a greater variety of technical visions and the project is more resilient to a sponsor leaving.
 * 3) The project has documented its management processes. This is typically done within a Developers Guide or Project Management Plan.
 * 4) The project has user documentation.
 * 5) The project has developer documentation.
 * 6) The project has code under configuration control. Eg, subversion.
 * 7) The project uses an issue tracker.
 * 8) The project uses public communication channels. Eg archived email lists.
 * 9) The project has an automated build process.
 * 10) The project manages quality. Ideally, this includes an automated test system.
 * 11) The project has a defined release process.

Marketing

 * 1) Appropriate marketing material has been created, and relevant web pages have been updated with project status as identified in Project Mentions.