Hi Henrik, There isn’t a strict written expectation for when a project must graduate, since incubation is meant to help a community reach the point where it can stand on its own within the ASF. That said, the general aim is for podlings to demonstrate that they can manage releases, add committers, build a sustainable community, and handle governance in accordance with the Apache Way. For some projects, that happen quickly, for others it takes longer.
However, the Incubator isn’t meant to be a permanent home. If a podling remains for many years, it usually prompts the IPMC and mentors to ask whether the project is on a realistic path to graduation. But we also recognise that not all communities move at the same pace, as some are driven by full-time contributors, others by volunteers working in their own time. What matters most is whether the project has demonstrated its ability to self-govern and continue sustainably, even at a slower pace. So the question to ask is, can the Otava project self-govern or not? Kind Regards, Justin
