[RFC] - Mentoring program

[Scott Kitterman]

Top posting fixed.  Please don't.

On Friday 08 February 2008 17:47, Nicolas Valcarcel wrote:
> On Fri, 2008-02-08 at 17:34 -0500, Scott Kitterman wrote:
> > On Friday 08 February 2008 17:32, Mathias Gug wrote:
> > > On Fri, Feb 08, 2008 at 04:46:43PM -0500, Nicolas Valcarcel wrote:
> > > > On Fri, 2008-02-08 at 12:56 -0500, Scott Kitterman wrote:
> > > > > I would go a bit further and suggest that while a mentor can help
> > > > > their mentee get changes sponsored (where this is relevant), they
> > > > > may not sponsor themselves.
> > > > >
> > > > > This enourages integration with the team and avoids putting mentor
> > > > > in the position of having to say no to ther mentee and potentially
> > > > > harm that relationship if they are unable to sponsor.
> > > > >
> > > > > Scott K
> > > >
> > > > This idea has a +1 for me, but i want to add some comments about. The
> > > > new contributors (people who start contributing) most of the time are
> > > > exited to start helping and they want to start NOW, no after reading
> > > > the minimal documentation needed, so the mentors should limit
> > > > themselves on putting goals to their mentees, and show them where to
> > > > find the documentation about what they are trying to do, not just
> > > > saying what to do and think for them or do for them. The mentors
> > > > should just be with the mentees and help them to find his/her way,
> > > > not to walk with them by the hand.
> > > >
> > > > About what Scott mentioned there should also be a policy of the
> > > > mentors to not sponsors their mentees work, first for the thing he
> > > > has said, and second because most of the time the mentors help the
> > > > mentees to make the patches/fixes so they can not recheck they
> > > > mentees work thinking that he/she has made exactly what they have
> > > > been told to do and the correct way, so there can be little errors or
> > > > mischecked changes uploaded.
> > >
> > > That raises the point of being reactive at the very beginning. The
> > > first impression counts. So I'd suggest that the first (and second ?)
> > > upload should be done by the mentor to get things going. It also
> > > removes the need to read about the Sponsorship process - understanding
> > > the whole packaging environment is already complicated.
> > >
> > > Once the first upload is done, the mentor should redirect to the
> > > sponsorship process and the MOTU ressources for further help.
> >
> > Sounds reasonable to me.
> >
> > Scott K
> mmm i'm not fully happy with that, maybe we can have a sponsor process
> inside the metoring program, so other sponsors can upload it quickly, so
> the mentor helps the mentee fixing the bug, then shows him how to
> request for sponsorship (subscribing ubuntu-*-sponsors) and then ping
> another sever team member (and also mentor ?) to upload the package, so
> the mentees don't ask his mentor every time to upload the package and
> has his/her change uploaded quickly or get angry when on the 3th upload
> the mentors says "use sponsorship i won't upload your packages anymore".
>
The main point of this is to promote team integration.  As soon as you create 
a special sponsor's process, then you defeat that aim.  

Scott K