Every ASF project leaves lessons behind. This talk shows how real Incubator case studies were turned into practical training using AI to identify patterns and summarise discussions, helping improve onboarding, mentoring, and community development.

Every ASF project has its own story. Some grow quickly, while others take years to find their rhythm, and still others fade away. Each leaves behind valuable lessons about community, governance, and collaboration.

This talk shows how those lessons were turned into practical mentoring and training materials for the Apache Incubator. By analysing case studies from real projects and utilising AI tools to summarise patterns and draft content, we created new guides, quizzes, and interactive learning scenarios that help mentors and contributors learn from real-world experiences.

We will share what went well, what did not, and how AI helped us quickly identify patterns and transform lengthy conversations into clear, useful learning materials. You will receive practical tips on how any open-source group can utilize AI to document its history, streamline onboarding, and facilitate more effective mentoring.

Speakers:

Justin Mclean: ASF Director, VP ASF Incubator, Datastrato Community Manager

Justin Mclean is a long-time contributor to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) and currently serves as VP of the ASF Incubator and a member of the ASF Board of Directors. Over several years, he has contributed to evolving the Incubator’s governance, policies, and training programs, including documenting how projects operate in practice and analysing the Incubator’s history. Through this work, he has supported hundreds of open source projects in building sustainable and independent communities.

He has extensive experience guiding projects from early incubation through to successful graduation, and has reviewed over a thousand open source releases. His work focuses on open source governance, community health, and the design of systems that enable collaboration at scale.

Justin regularly speaks at international conferences on topics such as open source governance, licensing, and community building, sharing practical lessons drawn from real-world experience across a wide range of ASF projects and communities.