Dear BTR WG and Open edX Community members!
We are excited to present to you the draft proposal for the Redwood Release Testing Strategy, which is the result of the increasing engagement of the Product Working Group, led by @jmakowski, with the Open edX Community release processes, an ongoing effort that started a month ago with the first Redwood Meeting Planning. An effort whose sole objective is to benefit our end users and the community in general by having a clearer, more coordinated and impactful release process. We are eager to gather your feedback and insights to ensure that the proposed changes align with the needs and expectations of the Community and, especially, of the BTR, the group of people who have successfully been in charge of this process for several years already.
Why Your Feedback Matters: The Redwood Release Testing Strategy proposal outlines several key recommendations aimed at enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the release testing process. However, we recognize that these proposed changes may represent significant changes to the process that the current BTR WG members follow for each release. Therefore, we are reaching out to you to seek your input and perspective on the proposed strategy.
Openness to Community Feedback: We want to emphasize that we are open to adjusting and prioritizing the set of recommendations included in the proposal based on the feedback we receive from the community. We understand that some of the proposed changes may represent a departure from current practices and may require a significant effort to implement. As such, we are committed to identifying an MVP based on community feedback and gradually transitioning to the full set of recommendations over time.
How You Can Contribute:
- Review the Proposal: You can access the draft proposal here. We encourage you to review it carefully and share your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions.
- Provide Feedback: Whether you have questions, concerns, or ideas for improvement, we want to hear from you. Please feel free to reply to this post or reach out to us directly with your feedback.
- Spread the Word: We encourage you to share this post with other community members who may be interested in contributing to the discussion. The more diverse perspectives we gather, the better equipped we will be to make informed decisions.
Next Steps: After collecting feedback from the community, we will carefully consider all input and work towards identifying and prioritizing the most urgent improvements based on the Redwood Release Testing Strategy recommendations. Given our timeline to start working on the Redwood release in April, we aim to finalize the selection of recommendations for implementation by the end of February. This will allow us enough time to review the feedback, prioritize the action items, and begin preparations for the upcoming release. We are committed to transparency and collaboration throughout this process and will keep you informed of any developments.
We extend our sincere gratitude to each and every one of you for your ongoing support and contributions to the Open edX Community releases. Your participation in this feedback process is invaluable, and we truly appreciate your time and effort. We are all aware of the current context that the community is facing and, personally, I believe that this proposal takes us in the right direction. The direction of being a stronger, more coordinated, and empowered community in control of its own future.
Side note: I would like to draw the attention of some specific members of the BTR to this post, who have had very active participation in the last release processes. We’re keen to hear your thoughts on this matter, @regis @mgmdi @pdpinch @nedbat @Dean @sambapete @ghassan @Maksim_Sokolskiy @mtyaka @arbrandes
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