Sometimes there’s a lot of community interest to work on something and a willingness to pay someone/a group of people to focus on it so that it is addressed in a timely manner.

Also, more generally, we know that many people are contributing to Mautic in their spare time, and we believe that more people (particularly those who do not have the privilege of free time) may be able to contribute if there was a way that some tasks or initiatives were able to provide them with financial compensation.

Often features, initiatives and bug fixes are important for the community – and deliver significant value to both the project and organisations who are dependent on Mautic – so we want to find a way forward which creates a sustainable ecosystem around Mautic.

At the same time, we don’t want to create a culture of people only working on things if they are paid to do so, therefore it’s important that we have some boundaries and set expectations.

Now that we have our Open Collective, which brings the practical toolset to facilitate financially supporting the Mautic project, we also need to set out some basic guidelines on how we intend to use our funds.

We should also have clarity on how people can get paid to work on projects or reimbursed for expenses incurred on behalf of Mautic, and establish some processes around all of this.

A proposed solution: Funding in the Mautic Community

There are two core areas where we will be initially providing opportunities for contributors to be financially compensated – a bounty programme for contributions to Mautic core, and the funding of initiatives.

Mautic Community Bounty Programme

A bounty programme in Open Source projects is when a monetary reward is offered for completing a task.

What follows is an initial proposal to implement a bounty scheme which we will be trialling for six months (January to June 2021) for contributions to Mautic Core via the Github repository.

We fully appreciate that this community has many more forms of contribution than writing code, however this is where we have the most activity and the most practical place to start such a scheme.

If you have feedback on this, please join the next team meeting on Slack in #t-product (get an invite at mautic.org/slack).

Get paid to contribute to Open Source!

The Mautic Community Product Team is small, and we’re always looking for new contributors to our Open Source codebases. Our Bounty programme will enable community members to financially reward developers who work on the issues they care about through our partnership with Bountysource.

With Bountysource, issues in the Github issue queue can have a bounty associated with them by one or more people or organisations. This means that one person could add a single bounty of $500 or 10 people could add a bounty of $50, with the person resolving the issue receiving the funds from Bountysource when the fix or feature is merged.

No compromise on quality

As is already the case, we will not accept pull requests unless they are:

• Completed to a high standard
• Fully covered by automated tests
• Prepared in a reasonable timeframe
• Resolving the linked issue in its entirety

We want to attract quality contributions only. For general guidelines about what’s expected in pull requests to Mautic core, see more info here.

The issue will only be considered complete and approved by BountySource for payment if the pull request is merged by a member of the Mautic Community Core Team. Read more in the BountySource FAQs.

Developers may only be assigned tasks and projects that they are confident can be completed in their entirety, seen through to completion, and which they are capable of working on at their current knowledge and skill level.

Our Product Team is happy to answer questions and provide some limited support, but don’t have the capacity to mentor junior developers working on bounty issues – developers are expected to work on the task without requiring direct support from the team.

This bounty programme will be running as a trial for the next six months and will be closely monitored by the Product Team.

We invite feedback from contributors and bounty posters – please provide in the meetings of the Product Team on Slack as mentioned earlier.

Funding Strategic and Community Initiatives

The Project Lead has an annual budget allocation for supporting Strategic Initiatives with community funds where required.

This coming year (January-December 2021), the budget is $6,000.

Strategic and Community Initiatives can also be funded in part or wholly by companies or individuals via a fundraising tier on our Open Collective.

Initiatives that require funding of any kind (whether this is to hold an in-person sprint, pay for development time, or any other expenses) must have a clear project plan with a roadmap on their Confluence page which includes dated milestones and a full financial requirements breakdown.

Payments will be made based on the delivery of agreed objectives within the project plan, rather than on a time and materials basis for hours worked.

Strategic or Community Initiatives that require funding will have their project plan accepted by the Project Lead prior to any funds being committed.

Once approved, if community funding is required a tier will be created on the Mautic Open Collective. This will allow organisations or individuals to contribute which will be used specifically for that initiative.

Funds will be paid on invoice from the Open Collective or if the individual prefers, a gift coupon for the Swag Store can be issued in place of financial reward in multiples of $25.

Conclusion

We appreciate that there are a lot of opinions around paying for contributions in Open Source, and whatever approach we take we know that there will be some in favour, and others not.

This is our first pilot into funding in two different ways, and is a trial to test the waters and see what works for us. We hope that it will be the first step towards building a sustainable ecosystem, and attract contributions from folk who may not otherwise be in a position to give their time to Mautic.

We welcome and value respectful discussion on any aspect of the trial and will have a standing topic in the Product Team meetings once a fortnight should you wish to share your thoughts.

Throughout this time the Community Leadership Team has been working closely with Acquia on building the foundations from which we can grow as a project and a community.

We have some exciting updates to share with you today from across the project.

A full time Project Lead appointed

Key to the success of any Open Source project is a strong leadership team who are engaged and dedicated to the growth of the project with a shared common vision.

Today we are delighted to announce that – with the full support of the Community Leadership Team and DB Hurley – Acquia has appointed a new, full-time project lead. Community Manager Ruth Cheesley will be taking up the position of Project Lead.

After leaving Acquia, DB Hurley scaled back his participation in the Mautic community and felt it was in Mautic’s best interest to have a full-time Project Lead.  He will continue to act as an ambassador for the Mautic project. We are grateful for DB’s leadership and having guided us this far.

Ruth has been involved with Mautic for a long time, and is excited about the opportunity to take up the baton from DB.

This will mean some changes to the governance structure which are outlined here.

Setting the direction for Mautic

As a community, our underlying mission is to help people succeed with Mautic. Everything we do as a project aligns with this vision.

We have six areas we are currently focusing on – ways we are helping people to be more successful with Mautic.

1. Develop the features and functionality so that Mautic becomes the tool of choice for Marketing Automation, and the market leader in this space
2. Improve the ease of use for marketers
3. Improve the stability and reliability of Mautic
4. Improve the way we support people to succeed with Mautic
5. Enable organisations to scale Mautic as they achieve success
6. Build a community that is self-reliant, welcoming, diverse and engaged

We have multiple initiatives and projects which we will be sharing – some today and some over the coming weeks – all of which contribute toward our mission.  The first of these initiatives from the Product Team follows below.

Updates from the Product Team

With the launch of Mautic 3, the Product Team will be making some changes to move us toward our vision of helping people succeed with Mautic.

We hope that we explain them fully below, however if there are any unanswered questions we will be running a series of live discussions and Q&A sessions where you can ask questions.

Release strategy and cadence

Mautic 3 is the first major release in nearly four years. Between Mautic 2 and Mautic 3 there hasn’t been a clear cadence to the releases.

This creates challenges for everybody who relies on Mautic.

Organizations who rely on Mautic don’t know when to expect updates, which makes it very difficult for them to plan maintenance windows into their business cycles.

Community contributors who are submitting fixes and features don’t know when pull requests are going to be merged, or which releases they should be aiming for when they are creating their contributions.

Users of Mautic do not have forewarning of when to expect an update, or when features that they really need are likely to be delivered.

We appreciate that this not only causes confusion and frustration, but also makes it difficult for people to adopt Mautic when there is such uncertainty.

As a result the Product Team has decided to implement some changes to the way that we release updates for Mautic.  We follow semantic versioning in our releases, for more information please read semver.org.

Monthly patch releases

We will be making a patch release every month. Patch releases include bug fixes only.

An example of a patch release would be 2.15.1, 2.16.2, 3.0.1.

Quarterly minor releases

Every three months we will issue a minor release. Minor releases can include features which do not break backwards compatibility, and bug fixes.

An example of a minor release would be 2.15, 2.16, 3.1.

Yearly major releases

A new major release will be made any time there are backwards compatibility breaking changes ready for release.  We estimate a new major release every few years, but the exact frequency will depend on Mautic’s dependencies (e.g. Symfony, jQuery, etc).

As an example, we will need to upgrade from Symfony 3 to Symfony 4 or 5, well before Symfony 3 is end-of-life.  The upgrade from Symfony 3 to Symfony 4 or 5 will likely require us to release a new major version of Mautic.

Major releases may include backwards compatibility breaking changes, features and bug fixes. An example of a major release would be Mautic 2, Mautic 3.

Anticipated release schedule

• Mautic 3.0.0 – Symfony upgrade [Stable due May 2020]
  • Mautic 3.0.1 – June 2020 Bug fixes [monthly releases]
  • Mautic 3.0.2 – July 2020 Bug fixes [monthly releases]
• Mautic 3.1.0 – 3.x improvements and new features [August 2020]
  • Mautic 3.1.1 – September 2020 Bug fixes [monthly releases]
  • Mautic 3.1.2 – October 2020 Bug fixes [monthly releases]
• Mautic 3.2.0 – 3.x improvements and new features [November 2020]
  • Mautic 3.2.2 – December 2020 Bug fixes [monthly releases]
  • Mautic 3.2.3 – January 2021 Bug fixes [monthly releases]
• Mautic 3.3.0 – 3.x improvements and new features [February 2021]
  • Mautic 3.3.1 – March 2021 Bug fixes [monthly releases]
  • Mautic 3.3.2 – April 2021 Bug fixes [monthly releases]
• Mautic 4.0.0 – Backwards compatibility breaking changes [May 2021]

Requirements for merging pull requests

Automated Tests

From the release of Mautic 3, we will be requiring all pull requests to include automated tests before they are considered a candidate for being merged into a release.  This will help us improve the stability of Mautic and prevent regressions occurring.

We appreciate that this may be a challenge, and we are planning a sprint in the near future to improve our test coverage, up-skill developers in writing automated tests, and updating our documentation.  If you are experienced in writing automated tests and would like to help with this, please reach out to the Product Team.

Documentation

We already have a requirement for pull requests to include documentation, however this has not been strictly enforced.  This has led to outdated documentation and incorrect code examples.

From the Mautic 3 release forward it will be mandatory to include an update for the End User Documentation and/or Developer Documentation before a pull request is considered a candidate for merging into a release.   The Education Team will be working closely with the Product Team in all releases to ensure that this requirement is met.

Google Season of Docs

We were also recently selected for the Google Season of Docs, so over the summer we will also have technical writers helping us further improve our documentation.

Sneak peek at upcoming changes

The Product Team are currently working on some updates to our code governance workflows which are being reviewed and finalized.

The Community Team and Product Team are working together on a project which will enable contributors to take responsibility as a small team for specific areas of the Mautic project – for example specific bundles or features – becoming community experts in this area.

This will allow contributors to specialize with a small team in a focused area, and support the rest of the project with updates, improvements and features.

Interested to know more? Join the Product Team chat on Slack – get an invite at mautic.org/slack.

Questions?

We appreciate that this is a lot of information to take in, and we expect that you may have some questions.

We will be holding several AMA-style sessions and webinars over the coming weeks with our communities around the world, giving you the opportunity to put any questions you may have directly to the Community Leadership Team.

We are excited to be moving into a new phase as a project, and look forward to a bright future.

Live discussions and Q&A:

Please note, we are in the process of setting up webinars and meetings with our international communities and we will update the list below as we confirm dates and times. Would you like to host a webinar, call, podcast or something else? If so please contact Ruth directly at ruth.cheesley@mautic.org.

Ruth and the entire Mautic Leadership team will be available in a livestream event, where they will talk about the changes and answer your questions – Friday, 22nd May at 1500hrs UK time

Les mises à jour de la communauté Mautic en Français avec Ruth Cheesley, nouvelle Project Leader – Wednesday, 27th May 2020 at 1000hrs UK time

Deutschsprachiges Mautic Community Update und Fragerunde mit Ruth Cheesley (neuer Project Lead) – Wednesday, 27th May 2020 at 1130hrs UK time

Últimas noticias, preguntas y respuestas sobre la Comunidad Mautic con Ruth Cheesley, la nueva leader del proyecto – Wednesday, 27th May 2020 at 1630hrs UK time

Regular Office Hours

Join this open call with Ruth Cheesley, Mautic Project Lead, once a fortnight in each timezone.

Ask product questions, suggest feature requests, lodge complaints, offer praise, share ideas, discuss recent blog posts, or talk about good or bad experiences using Mautic.

Anything that’s on your mind is fair game. I’m here to listen, share, and be available to help in any way I can.

Office Hours with Ruth Cheesley EMEA/Americas – Fortnightly from 28th May at 1500hrs UK time Link to join: https://acquia.zoom.us/j/98583607751 (Password: 815478)

Office Hours with Ruth Cheesley APJ – Fortnightly from 3rd June at 0700hrs UK time Link to join: https://acquia.zoom.us/j/91119231380 (Password: 502111)

California Family Kicked Off Delta Flight After Argument Over Toddler’s Seat

American Airlines investigates after video shows mom in tears

Delta Employees Asked Man to Leave Flight After Using Restroom

United Airlines Passenger Is Dragged From an Overbooked Flight

I don’t share these incidents to bring judgement upon the airlines or its passengers. The reason I share this is because I think as marketers, we can learn a lot from these situations. We can learn from innovative successes and groundbreaking products, as well as communication breakdowns and errors in judgement. Each of these stories should cause us to reflect and have meaningful discussions in our businesses.

As we consider each of these incidents, what is one thing they have in common? They reflect a breakdown in the customer journey. You’re likely saying, “Yes, we know all about the customer journey, there’s no problem here. We understand the touchpoints, as well as how we engage customers along each step of that journey.” That’s great. However, have you put your customer journey in front of your customer? Would they agree with each touchpoint? Have you considered missing touchpoints that maybe only your customer sees? The director of marketing at each of these airlines likely did not see the journey that included unhappy customers that are asked to voluntarily leave their flights each and every day.

So what does this mean for our marketing automation efforts? We should consider this a wake up call to how we engage our customers at each and every step and with each and every interaction. And that includes the interactions we may not always see or acknowledge.

• Re-assess the Customer Journey:

  Your customer and marketplace are not, and should not be, static. If the way your customers find, access or engage you continues to evolve, then so should your customer journey.

  “A customer is never on a predetermined course – they are unpredictable! By ‘understanding the customer journey’ brands run the risk of pigeon holing their customers and losing them, by trying to control the process.” (source)

  This is significant. Don’t get lulled to sleep by believing that once you’ve outlined your customer journey that it is in “set it and forget” mode. There is a risk to not consistently evaluating each touchpoint. Even touchpoints you think don’t exist.

• Review the Data and Verify:

  One of the most valuable elements of marketing automation is the ability to segment and communicate directly to the needs of our audience. But how often are we reviewing the data and verifying that the value is meaningful?

  “If the enterprise does not augment the product experience with accurate, timely, and relevant information (according to the user’s location, channel and time of usage), users will be left dissatisfied, disoriented, and disengaged.” (source)

  Don’t forget to periodically monitor click throughs and open rates to ensure your content is adding value to your segments at each and every stage.

• Find the Gaps:

  As you reassess your customer journey, not only must you constantly be speaking with you customer facing team, but you must be speaking directly with customers at each stage of the customer journey. Why did that potential customer not place an order? Were there unmet needs? Are there touchpoints that we haven’t addressed?

  “As part of this 360-degree view of the customer, brands need to connect data from both physical and digital touchpoints in order to bridge the gap between the two.” (source)

  These gaps reside in our day-to-day interactions with customers, but also in the digital handoffs that occur as we provide our products and services.

• Add Value at Every Stage:

  Whether your customers are loyal or encounter an unforeseen roadblock, it is incumbent upon you to add value. We are in a sharing economy. The challenge we face as marketers is that every potential customer should be seen as a potential advocate for our business whether they are a customer or not.

  “The art of creating added value starts with the ability to see your business through the eyes of your customers.” (source)

  So walk in their shoes, talk with them directly. Sometimes the best data is not in a report, but directly interacting with the people you serve.

In summary, what can we learn from the challenges airlines have been experiencing over the past couple of weeks? That no matter how long you’ve been doing business, and what you think you know about your customers, there is always an opportunity to learn more and improve the customer journey before, during and after they interact with your business.

For more information about how to create your own custom journey in Mautic, check out our video on the subject.