The Project Management Committee (PMC) oversees the project, including technical decisions, ensuring compliance with ASF standards, adding new members, and approving releases.

Conducting Business

The PMC must conduct all business on the public developers’ mailing list, maintaining full community visibility.

Every PMC has a private@ list reserved for confidential matters such as discussing proposed committers, potential PMC members, or security issues. Do not use the private list to discuss features, roadmap discussions, or other technical decisions, as this cuts the community out of the process.

The Board of Directors occasionally sends comments or queries, often regarding your quarterly board report. Any PMC member can and should respond to these inquiries – don’t wait for the Chair to handle them.

The PMC makes decisions about project direction and should incorporate input from the broader community. However, when votes are taken, only PMC votes are binding. Community members are encouraged to vote, but their votes serve as advisory input only.

PMC members may veto technical decisions, such as proposed patches, but must provide technical justification and engage in discussion to resolve their objections.

For more information about voting procedures, see the Foundation website.

Protecting your brand

Apache PMCs are directly responsible for promoting and protecting their project’s brand and trademarks while following Apache Trademark policies. This is discussed in detail on the trademarks site.

Making a release

The process for releasing official Apache software artifacts is documented on the Infra website. As a PMC member, you must read and understand this process.

When voting on a release, actually test the release candidate. In your vote email, specify what you tested and on which platforms, rather than simply voting +1 or -1.

Ensuring Project Health

The PMC is individually and collectively responsible for ensuring the project operates according to ASF policies and standards. In this role, PMC members act as individuals, not as representatives of their employers or other third-party interests. The reputation of both the project and the ASF depends on PMC members fulfilling this responsibility.

Projects must operate in a vendor-neutral fashion. Every project participant should have an equal voice, regardless of their employer or employment status. Evidence that a project favors one company or organization over another constitutes a serious violation. For example, if members of a particular organization receive preferential treatment for committer status, PMC membership, or patch acceptance, this indicates undue employer influence over the project.

The PMC sets the tone for conduct and interactions within the project. Members can and should address behavior that conflicts with ASF standards, including bullying, discriminatory discussions, or other abusive behavior. PMCs may adopt a specific Code of Conduct or follow the ASF’s general Code of Conduct.

Adding Community Members

The PMC ensures project sustainability by regularly adding committers and new PMC members. This responsibility extends beyond the chair – every PMC member should regularly evaluate project participants and consider whether they should be invited to the next level of the contributor ladder.