• Sponsored contribution reflections

    For the past six months I have been sponsored by Automattic for 2 days a week to focus on the default theme task force. First, I want to say thank you to everyone that supported and enabled this focus work.

    Stats

    When my sponsorship focus started the default theme queue had over 400 tickets and as of writing this there are 198 tickets. Whilst this isn’t just down to myself, it shows the importance of focus in this area.

    In this time I have brought to commit more tickets probably than ever in my history as a committer. I had to check but this also out paces in time phase one work I did on the editor. This shows how giving a contributor the ability to focus in one area can benefit the project and use them effectively.

    • Commits: 103
    • Updates: (comments, feedback and interactions on tickets) 965
    • Closed: 290

    It wasn’t just about tickets though. Monthly update posts were made to make/updates and also bi-weekly triage sessions run. A repo was also set up to explore co-ordinated approaches across tickets and a community theme experiment explored.

    For a more details see my last review.

    Reflections

    Stats are only number stories, but they are important to tell as a starting point. I have already shared some reflections but I am going today to give some more. Overall, having a focus was incredibly rewarding and whilst it is over, I am now looking to see what opportunity is next for a similar one. These reflections are around specifically sponsorship.

    Sponsoring is important

    I am currently self-sponsored, but I want to highlight how important that is. I still consider my own Five for the Future commitment as part of my work. However, having additional support would allow me to focus in ways that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. Every sponsor makes a difference. Thank you, Aaron Jorbin, for sponsoring me on GitHub. It allows contributors like me to continue thriving while working as committers.

    Focus is critical and tempting

    In the past few months, my focus has narrowed even more as I tackled the huge queue. If I continue my sponsorship in this area, it will be to address the longer-term issue of default themes. Only time will tell if I have prevented future fires.

    Support committers

    Many assume WordPress committers are sponsored, but this isn’t always true. I am not saying committers are the most important, every contribution counts. They can unblock and improve areas, and it’s valuable to retain their expertise within the project. Supporting existing committers can create opportunities for new contributors, with the added benefit of knowledge sharing through mentorship.

    Selling what you do is hard

    I find it hard to sell my work as a form of contribution, and I suspect others do too. Reflecting on my work, I realized how much I’ve overlooked in past interactions. It’s difficult to justify why you deserve sponsorship and effectively sell your work. This therefore often results in less sponsorship and we lose contributors that way.

    Next?

    I am looking to continue focusing, but I am open to where it is. I am no longer an outside sponsored contributor and welcome discussions, so please reach out. Specifically, I would love to do something similar, focusing for six months in another area. Here are some of my current ideas:

    • Admin-style sprint: a six-month focus. First, identify, triage and fix bugs in the existing CSS. Then, bring in new system work to the existing admin where can and updating without breaking.
    • Default Themes Task Force Part Two: The next phase could involve exploring a community theme reflecting past default theme styles and transitioning from classic to block tools for a seamless, user-friendly experience.
    • Component adoption: Sponsor me to adopt a component and do the same thing I did for default themes. This also extends to the editor, where I am also very open to jumping in as a focus again.
    • Documenting and making the design system visible: The design system is a powerful tool, and I am excited about its potential. The documentation could be better, but I am eager to focus on making all our hard work visible and truly showcasing the system’s capabilities.
    • Your idea: I am open to discussing any area you think I should focus on.

    I would love to talk more to anyone about these ideas or anything else around sponsoring my contribution. You can also sponsor me through GitHub. Beyond that, I would love to talk to anyone about these areas I am looking to focus on, I will be focusing on them one by one through my own work, this isn’t the end of my contribution. However, being sponsored speeds up the time I get to focus on them.

  • Update on default theme focus

    Since March, I have been sponsored to focus on the default theme task force. I wrote about this at the start of my work. Now that we have passed the midpoint, it’s a good time to check on what has gone on and where things are.

    Theme stats

    Statistics are incredible, but they can also be deceptive. It’s important not to rely on them exclusively. In this post, I won’t just focus on numbers. However, sharing numerical data is a great way to begin.

    • Open issues: 436 as shared here to start and currently 257 ( – 179 )

    It’s worth noting that because some issues have been opened over the months; this decrease, rather than increase, is even more exciting.

    Bundled themes aren’t tied to a particular release, but this indicates how much work happened in this cycle.

    These figures show not just my work but the work of so many. Each person who found the issue tested it and created a patch. There have been so many collaborating and focusing together, and it’s impressive to be part of this.

    Personal stats

    As mentioned, measuring contributions based solely on stats has limitations. The time taken for one commit or testing a patch can vary significantly. Relying exclusively on the time to complete a ticket may only sometimes provide a clear understanding, but it does offer a starting point for evaluation. Here are some of my stats from Trac until the end of June.

    Total since March:

    • Commits: 53*
    • Closed tickets: 203
    • Updated tickets: 476

    * Sometimes, one ticket has multiple commits to get tests to pass.

    Opportunities

    Whilst the stats are one thing, there have been other things done in the time. Just a few of theme in collaboration with others include:

    • A GitHub repo was created to coordinate approaches across tickets.
    • Bi-weekly triage sessions held in WordPress Slack on Mondays.
    • Monthly update posts were started and continue to be posted each month following the stats.
    • I began a community theme based called ‘Archvist‘ on the using the default themes as styles. This likely will now use section styles and other new features.

    Reflections

    It’s been an adventure, and sharing the things that happened is only half the story. I have some points, though:

    • It will take time. There was a backlog, and clearing takes testing and agreeing approaches, which takes time. 
    • Closing is essential. Some tickets just needed closing, and the first few months were focused on this.
    • Committing patches continues to be an essential practice daily. Many small ones are ready to go with a bit of testing.
    • Patches need refreshing. Due to the course of time, many need reviewing.
    • Testers are needed. One of the backlogs we have right now is testing existing patches. Being able to go through and commit things means they need to be tested first.

    When I started this, I thought more time would be spent on community themes, tools and improving not just in trac, and I still want to do that, but the queue and clearing remain a key priority for me. I have discovered a pace I enjoy keeping and a cadence for the days I focus on contribution.

    If I had to choose the most significant issue, it would be the disparity between the editor and the front display. This problem affects numerous blocks, styles, and themes, causing several issues. Some of these can be resolved within the blocks, which is the preferred solution. A repository to discuss approaches has also helped address many of these issues.

    Theme development complexity peaked a few releases ago. Since then, default themes have become less complex and easier to maintain. This is positive for the future but means heavier work in the interim. Interestingly, this was different for older, more straightforward themes.

    Now?

    A sponsored contribution focusing on one area has empowered me. This focus is valuable every day. I’m currently focused on reducing the backlog, increasing the commit rate, and patching the backlog. Maintaining pace is crucial. Thanks for the support and sponsorship. This contribution focus has been one of the most rewarding areas of work I have done in years. Once this backlog is under control, we focus on what is next for the task force and default themes, which is really exciting.