Open Code Review
Bevy, an open source programming project, faced challenges due to its rapid growth and an overwhelming number of pull requests. To address this, the community implemented an open code review process that allows anyone to review contributions, fostering collaboration and efficiency. This approach not only helps manage the backlog but also enhances learning and engagement among contributors.
- ▪Bevy's sole maintainer struggled with an increasing backlog of pull requests due to the project's popularity.
- ▪The community began to take initiative in reviewing pull requests, leading to the establishment of a formal open code review process.
- ▪The new process allows anyone to review contributions, with community sentiment influencing the prioritization of pull requests.
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Open Code Review May 20, 2026 open source programming project management Bevy had a problem. It was a good problem to have, but still very much a problem. Bevy had grown too popular, too quickly. Our sole maintainer was stretched impossibly thin, and contributor PRs withered in review limbo as the queue grew and grew. People would pour hours of work into something only to wait weeks for any feedback at all. Many of them gave up, walking away as merge conflicts grew like weeds on their PRs. But as the backlog grew, I noticed something interesting. Even without formal authority, people were already doing useful review work. They were asking good questions, catching bugs, suggesting small fixes, testing things on their own machines.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Shaping.
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