In this session, Drew will be sharing insight into how a WordPress release happens, including an overview of all the moving parts, teams, organization, and execution. A lot of people have this idea that the core team is solely responsible for new versions of WordPress getting released, which couldn’t be further from the truth – it’s an intricate ballet of multiple contributor teams coming together and executing a broad vision. He will talk about how a release cycle is structured, how and where the decision-making happens, as well as all of the various contributors and teams that play their own part in a successful release. It’s very much opening the black box of how a release works.

1. It Takes a Village
to Make WordPress
Drew Jaynes
WordCamp Cape Town 2015

2. • Platform Engineer at 10up
• Docs Committer for WordPress core
• 4.2 Release Lead
• Developing with WordPress since 2009
• Slides: http://drewf.us/wcct-village
Hi, I’m Drew.

3. How WordPress is Made

5. How is it really made?

6. Who are these contributors?

7. • Developers, designers, UX experts,
power users
• People who work with/on WordPress
full-time, part-time, paid, unpaid
• WordPress every day
Contributors

8. Vision

9. • Release vs Project vision
• Advisors / backup lead(s)
• Feature plugin proposals
Vision

10. • Release date
• April, August, Decemeber
• Considerations: support availability,
polyglots, holidays
Vision

11. • Is the feature plugin finish-able?
• Does it fit the release and project vision?
• Does it satisfy the 80/20 rule?
Vision

12. Kickoff

13. • Schedule
• Community feedback
• 5 + 6 + 2 weeks
• Weekly meetings / scrubs
Vision • Kickoff

14. • Beta
• Release Candidate
• Buffer
Vision • Kickoff

15. Development

16. • Feature plugins
• Bug fixing
• Enhancements
• Fourth
Vision • Kickoff • Development

17. • Feature plugin merge
• Core mentors
• Beta triage
Vision • Kickoff • Development

18. Testing: Beta(s)

19. • 2-4 Betas
• Punting enhancements / triage
• Triaging priorities
• Beta tester plugin / trywpbeta.com
Vision • Kickoff • Development • Testing (Beta)

20. Testing:
Release Candidate(s)

21. • 2+ Release candidates
• 0 tickets
• Small changes
• Two-committer policy
Vision • Kickoff • Development • Testing (Release Candidate)

22. • Start: About page
• Start: Version article
• Start: Release video
Vision • Kickoff • Development • Testing (Release Candidate)

23. Freeze

24. • “Soft” string freeze
• Finish About page
• “Hard” string freeze
• Translating subtitles
Vision • Kickoff • Development • Testing • Freeze

25. • Finish: Release video
• OMGWTFBBQ post
Vision • Kickoff • Development • Testing • Freeze

26. Launch

27. • Finish: Version article
• Support heads-up
• Publish: Video
Vision • Kickoff • Development • Testing • Freeze • Launch

28. • Package / test the release
• Release
• Announcement post & tweet
Vision • Kickoff • Development • Testing • Freeze • Launch

29. Post-Launch

30. • Retrospective
• Documentation
• Downtime
• Post Launch

31. Resources

32. • Core Development Blog
• Feature Plugins page
• WordPress Slack
• Core Trac
Resources

33. Questions?
Drew Jaynes | @DrewAPicture
Slides: http://drewf.us/wcct-village