Merge pull request CodeForPhilly#12 from lottspot/outline/starting-a-…

…project

Provide base sections in starting-a-project.md

starting-a-project.md

@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+## Roadmapping
+
+#### In a nutshell 
+
+Roadmapping is the process of establishing one or more concrete, achievable goals and
+laying out each of the tasks which must be completed in order to accomplish each goal.
+To have a useful roadmap, it is important that these goals and the tasks which need to
+be done to accomplish them are explicitly documented, and easily accessed by all members of the team.
+
+It is important that the tasks which compose a goal in a roadmap be tracked; It should be
+known at all times whether or not a task is completed, if it's actively being worked on,
+and who is working on it if it is.
+
+Examples of good roadmap goals:
+
+- Implement a MVP
+- Implement all API endpoints
+- Complete 5 user tests
+
+Roadmap goals to avoid:
+
+- Complete the project
+- Find users for user testing
+
+#### Why Bother
+
+Like any other activity which demands time and effort from the team members of a project, it is important
+to understand the value prospect of roadmapping. This section describes some of the important and tangible benefits of roadmapping a project.
+
+###### Make work distributable
+
+When a goal is broken down into a step-by-step process which is accessible to the entire team,
+then each team member can take on a step, allowing multiple steps to be worked on by different
+people at the same time.
+
+###### Make onboarding simpler
+
+When the current project goal and the tasks is consists of are documented, it becomes simpler to 
+take on new contributors. New contributors can simply be pointed to the location in which all of
+this information is documented, and select a task to begin working on. This simplicity lowers
+the barrier of entry for people to get involved with a new project.
+
+###### Make project progress trackable/measurable
+
+Documenting the tasks which need to be accomplished to fulfill the current project goal is the
+first step toward having a process for documenting the in-progress and completion status of each
+such task as well. This allows for a concrete measurement of progress toward a goal; how many tasks
+are done vs how many are not can help quantify how close the team is to accomplishing the overall goal.
+
+###### Make collaboration easier
+
+When individual tasks are being tracked as part of a roadmap, this makes it easier for teammates to
+collaborate. Teammates can avoid duplicating effort by knowing who is working on what, and have a shared
+understanding of what needs to be worked on next.
+
+## Onboarding
+
+#### In a nutshell
+
+Onboarding is the process of taking a potential new contributor from the point of knowing nothing about
+your project up to the point of making impactful contributions. As an open source project to which people
+donate their time, it is important to set reasonable expectations around contributors; many will come and
+go over the lifetime of a project. Because of this reality, it is important to keep the barrier of entry
+to new contributors as low as possible.
+
+#### Doing it successfully
+
+###### Simple introspection into current project status and tasks
+
+It is important that a new contributor can easily view the current project status, and determine from
+the current status of the project which tasks need to be done but are not currently being worked on.
+This provides a direct path for a new contributor to know how to become immediately helpful to a project.
+This is a need which can be met by establishing and maintaining a project roadmap, with tracked tasks.
+
+###### Clear, concise, up-to-date instructions on getting started with development (on all platforms!)
+
+All projects should provide instructions on how developers can setup their local machines to start
+working on the project. It is important that instructions exist **for every major platform** (Windows, OS X, Linux); 
+every individual has their own preferences, and excluding platforms which your current team does not
+prefer alienates potential contributors. This should be done on a best effort basis; if no one
+on the team has access to a Windows license or to a Mac Book in order to provide instructions, then
+it simply cannot be done.
+
+What's perhaps most important about this point is that projects should avoid incorportating platform
+specific workflows into the development process (e.g., requiring batch scripts or AppleScript as part
+of the development process).
+
+###### Documented code base
+
+The code base should have comments on all methods and functions, and before any sequences of difficult
+to read or unusual code. This is a general coding best practice, but is highlighted in this context
+because of its impact on the ability of a new contributor to quickly become familiar with the current
+code base (and therefore more quickly make meaningful contributions)
+
+###### Human contact!
+
+Always be available to potential new contributors to ask questions, or even proactively reach out to
+them to try to help them find tasks to work on! The best documentation in the world is still no
+substitute for old fashioned human contact and communication. Contributors usually join projects
+to feel like they're working with a group of people to accomplish something.
+
+## Keeping up momentum
+
+#### In a nutshell
+
+Keeping a project moving forward is important; having a sense of progress keeps team members invested
+and gives the project the best chance of actually launching. This section covers some tips on helping
+to continuously foster a sense of progress in a project.
+
+#### Regular check-ins
+
+Have team members regularly report the current status of tasks they are working on. Not only does this
+help each team member motivate themselves to have progress to show, but it also gives the team insight
+into when a team member may need help with a task, or no longer has time to continue working on a task.
+This transparency also helps ensure that task and project statuses remained up to date, and reflect the
+actual state of the project. In addition to helping foster a sense of ongoing progress, this helps with
+things like new contributor onboarding and roadmap tracking as well.
+
+#### Goals and Deadlines
+
+When establishing roadmaps, set target dates for each step in the roadmap. Constraining goals to
+be accomplished by a certain deadline helps set a pace for progress on the project, and can provide
+that sense that the project is continuing to move stadily forwad.