Merge pull request #186 from Cadair/mentoring_moore_2021

Funding 2021: Astropy maintainer mentoring program

Author: jdswinbank

finance/proposal-calls/2021-proposal/AperioMentoring.md

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+# Astropy Maintainer Mentoring Program Proposal
+
+## Project team
+
+The grant will go to [Aperio Software Ltd.](https://aperiosoftware.com), and the
+following people will be working on the project:
+
+* Thomas Robitaille - Coordination committee member and astropy core maintainer.
+* Stuart Mumford - astropy.visualization and infrastructure maintainer.
+* Heather Mumford - Learning and Development professional with extensive
+  experience in developing and delivering coaching and mentoring programmes.
+
+We believe that this team encompasses both the knowledge of mentoring programs
+in general as well as the specific needs of the Astropy community to develop an
+effective maintainer mentoring program.
+
+## Project Summary
+
+This project is to set up a lightweight (as in easy to run and maintain) but
+formal mentoring program to encourage, recruit, and train both new maintainers
+for the astropy core and coordinated packages, as well as people into other
+roles.
+
+There are two primary goals for the mentoring scheme:
+1. To increase the number of people in maintainer and other roles in the Astropy
+   community.
+2. To provide a more structured way to facilitate succession of people into
+   vacant roles.
+
+This will reduce the projects reliance on the current small number of people in
+critical roles. This mentoring program is *not* aiming to recruit more
+contributors at this time.
+
+## Project Work Plan
+
+This project is split into three phases. At each phase we will actively solicit
+feedback from the Astropy community to continually improve the program.
+
+### Phase 1: Design Program and Produce Documentation
+
+In this phase we will design the program and develop all the documentation
+needed for all participants, this will include:
+  * Introduction to the program, including its scope and goals.
+  * Requirements for mentors and mentees: what makes a good mentor/mentee, what
+    is expected of program participants.
+  * A mentor handbook containing all the information needed to help a mentor
+    through the program.
+  * A mentee handbook containing all the information needed to help a mentee
+    through the program.
+  * Guidelines for mentors on when their mentees might be ready to "graduate" to
+    a maintainer role.
+  * Guidelines for when mentees might exit the program without "graduating" to a
+    maintainer role.
+    
+### Phase 2: Implement and Run the Mentor Program for the first year
+
+In this phase, the program will be run and coordinated for one year. 
+
+Running the programme for the first year will involve:
+
+  * Identify suitable mentors based on criteria developed in phase 1.
+  * Work with the wider Astropy community to identify potential mentees, based
+    on criteria developed in phase 1.
+  * Train mentors and mentees on what good mentoring relationships look like and
+    what is expected of them.
+  * Pair mentors and mentees, considering time-zones, personalities, and support
+    required.
+  * Monitor progress through evaluations and check-ins.
+  * Graduate mentees into suitable Astropy roles as and when appropriate.
+
+The program for the first year will be administered using the minimal amount of
+new technology possible (instead relying on existing solutions), with the focus
+on learning what works for the Astropy community and what can be improved and
+automated in the future.
+
+### Phase 3: Review and Improvements
+
+Towards the end of the first year of running the program a review of how well
+the program has achieved its objectives will be performed in collaboration with
+the participants from the first year and the wider community.
+
+It is expected that any significant changes to the program of development of
+software to help with administering the program would form part of a new
+proposal in the next cycle for evaluation by the community.
+
+### Budget
+
+The total budget request is for $15k, which is for 100 hours of contractor work
+at $150 per hour, split up as 3 days of work (24 hours) each for phases one and
+three and one hour a week for phase 2 (52 hours).