Contributor Runway

This guide defines how first-time contributors can land meaningful changes quickly in public-process.

Repository Type

public-process is a Jekyll static site. Most first contributions are not application-code changes; they are small Markdown, frontmatter, documentation, link, Liquid template, HTML, CSS, YAML, or JSON-data fixes.

Area	Language / format	Good first scope
`_posts/`	Markdown + YAML frontmatter	Fix metadata, links, excerpts, or formatting
`_logs/`	Markdown + YAML frontmatter	Fix log formatting or internal references
`docs/`	Markdown, YAML	Clarify process docs or governance references
`_layouts/`, `_includes/`	Liquid, HTML	Small template accessibility or structure fixes
`assets/`	CSS	Narrow styling fixes
`data/`	JSON	Generated index updates requested by CI

Content Map

_posts/ is the complete dated essay corpus.
essays/ is the curated long-form essay collection.
Root Markdown files such as index.md and about.md are site pages.
data/ contains generated indexes and should not be edited by hand unless an issue explicitly asks for it.

First Steps

Pick a scoped issue labeled good first issue, documentation, or research.

For local preview, install dependencies and run Jekyll:

git clone https://github.com/organvm/public-process.git
cd public-process
bundle install
bundle exec jekyll serve --host 127.0.0.1

Before opening a PR, run the check that matches the change:
- Docs-only change: preview the Markdown and self-review links.
- Essay, layout, include, or config change:
```
JEKYLL_ENV=production bundle exec jekyll build --strict_front_matter --baseurl /public-process
```
If the issue list has no starter tasks, open the First Contribution issue template and propose a small Markdown, documentation, frontmatter, link, or Jekyll-template cleanup.

Starter Issue Labels

Starter issues should use good first issue and name the relevant repository surface in the title or body, for example _posts, docs, Liquid, CSS, frontmatter, or links. This makes the required language or file format visible before a contributor opens the issue.

The CI also validates frontmatter, regenerated data files, internal links, and basic repository structure.

First Contribution Scope

A first contribution should:

Touch a small, isolated surface area.
Have clear acceptance criteria.
Be testable with existing workflows.
Avoid cross-repo architectural refactors.
Avoid new organvm vocabulary unless it is defined in the same change.

Review SLA Targets

First maintainer response: within 3 business days.
Review turnaround after requested changes: within 3 business days.
Merge decision after final approval: within 2 business days.

Required PR Evidence

What changed and why.
Validation output summary, usually from JEKYLL_ENV=production bundle exec jekyll build --strict_front_matter --baseurl /public-process (or a note if docs-only).
Linked issue with acceptance criteria.

Escalation

If blocked for >7 days without review, open a documentation issue in organvm/public-process or comment on the PR with a link to the blocker details.