Organization administrator guide

Current phase:
The 2020 Season of Docs program finished on March 15, 2021. See timeline.

This page is a guide for organization administrators—members of open source organizations who manage their organization's participation in Season of Docs.

Introduction

The guide helps you perform the tasks you're responsible for at each phase of Season of Docs and throughout the program.

One of your goals as organization administrator is to ensure that the technical writers and your organization's mentors have a rewarding and successful experience in this year's Season of Docs. A happy experience improves the chances that the technical writers continue contributing to the project after the close of this year's Season of Docs, and that other technical writers become enthusiastic about working in open source. It also helps ensure that your mentors want to take part again next year.

Organization application phase

The organization application phase runs from April 13, 2020 - May 4, 2020. During this period you can submit an application for your organization to take part in Season of Docs. The Google program administrators publish the list of successful organizations on May 11, 2020.

Your tasks as organization administrator during this phase

Find an alternative organization administrator.

You must have at least two organization administrators to manage your organization's participation in Season of Docs.

Round up your mentors.

Your organization must have at least two open source mentors for each technical writing project that you plan to accept for this year's Season of Docs. You need the mentors to help during the technical writer exploration and application phases, as well as during doc development.

Create and publish your ideas list.

Work with your mentors to create a project ideas list. This list should include one or more documentation projects that you'd like a technical writer to tackle during this year's Season of Docs. You should publish your project ideas on a public web page, in a blog post, or in some other publicly visible document. When you create your organization's application for Season of Docs, you should include a link to your project ideas.

Ideas for technical writing projects

Submit your organization's application.

Submit your organization's application for Season of Docs before May 4, 2020.

Creating your application

2020 Season of Docs organization applications are now closed. Join the announcement mailing list at season-of-docs-announce to stay informed.

Ask your alternative administrator(s) to register.

Make sure your alternative administrator registers for Season of Docs before the end of the organization application period.

Registration for the 2020 Season of Docs has closed

Ask your mentors to register.

Encourage your organization's mentors to register for Season of Docs as soon as possible.

Registration for the 2020 Season of Docs has closed.

Talk about Season of Docs.

Spread the word that your organization is taking part in Season of Docs! Even if your organization doesn't make it into the final list of accepted organizations this year, it's still great news that you've been part of the selection process.

Promotional material

Technical writer exploration phase

The technical writer exploration phase runs from May 11 - June 8, 2020. During this period, technical writers explore the list of participating organizations and the organizations' project ideas. Technical writers may approach one or more organizations directly, to discuss project ideas.

Your tasks as organization administrator during this phase

Discuss project ideas with interested technical writers.

You and your organization's mentors may discuss project ideas with any technical writer who approaches your organization directly, to help the technical writer put together a good project proposal for submission to the Google program administrators. The project ideas may come from the ideas list that your organization has proposed as well as other ideas that the technical writer proposes.

Ideas for technical writing projects

Assessing technical writer proposals

Technical writer application phase

The technical writer application phase runs from June 9, 2020 - July 9, 2020. During this period, technical writers apply to take part in Season of Docs, and organizations select the projects they want to mentor.

Summary of the process:

  • Technical writers submit an application to the Google program administrators, by completing a form on the program website.
  • Google program administrators forward the relevant technical writer proposal to the open source organization selected by the technical writer.
  • Organization administrators and mentors assess the technical writer proposals.
  • Organization administrators submit their selected technical writing project(s) to the Google program administrators. For each project, the organization administrator specifies the technical writer who will do the work.
  • Google program administrators review the selections of technical writing projects, then confirm the selections with the relevant technical writers and organizations.
  • Google program administrators publish the list of accepted technical writing projects for this year's Season of Docs on August 16, 2020.
Your tasks as organization administrator during this phase

Select your technical writing project(s).

Assess the technical writer proposals forwarded by the Google program administrators. Select the technical writing project(s) that your organization wants to mentor during this year's Season of Docs.

Assessing technical writer proposals

Submit your selected project(s).

Submit your selected technical writing project(s) to the Google program administrators before July 31, 2020.

Registration for the 2020 Season of Docs has closed.

Community bonding phase

The community bonding phase runs from August 17 - September 13, 2020. During this period, open source mentors introduce the accepted technical writers to the open source organization, help the technical writers refine their technical writing projects, and help the technical writers become familiar with the tools and processes in the open source project.

Your tasks as organization administrator during this phase

Help and manage your mentors.

Ensure that your organization's mentors are working closely with the technical writers, setting up communication channels, and setting expectations.

Your responsibilities

Doc development phase

The doc development phase runs from September 14, 2020 - November 30, 2020. During this period, technical writers work on their projects under close consultation with their mentors.

Your tasks as organization administrator during this phase

Help and manage your mentors.

Ensure that your organization's mentors are working closely with the technical writers to ensure successful completion of the projects.

Your responsibilities

Project finalization and evaluation phases

The project finalization phase runs from December 3 - 10, 2020. During this period, technical writers submit their final work products and their mentor evaluations.

The mentor evaluation phase runs from December 3, 2020 - December 10, 2020. During this period, mentors submit their evaluations of the success of the technical writing projects and their experience working with the technical writers.

Your tasks as organization administrator during this phase

Help and manage your mentors.

Create a decision process for determining if a technical writing project should pass or fail, and assist your mentors in making this decision.

Ensure that your organization's mentors complete their evaluations by the end of the evaluation phase.

Your responsibilities

Administering and paying stipends

Google uses Payoneer to pay the open source organizations taking part in Season of Docs.

Your tasks as organization administrator

Set up a Payoneer account.

Complete the payment request form, and then create a Payoneer account for your organization if you do not already have one. For dates, instructions, and a link to the form, see the guide to accepting stipends.

Complete your tax forms.

Once you have registered for a Payoneer account, you must complete the resulting tax forms before December 3, 2020. See the guide to accepting stipends.

Distribute the mentor stipend.

Google pays a single sum to your organization, based on the number of technical writing projects the organization has mentored in this year's Season of Docs. It's up to you as the organization administrator to distribute this sum as the organization sees fit.

Long-running projects

For standard-length technical writing projects in Season of Docs, the doc development phase runs from September 14, 2020 - November 30, 2020. However, some technical writers may apply for a long-running project under consultation with the open source organization. For a long-running project, the doc development phase runs from September 14, 2020 - March 1, 2021.

The project finalization and evaluation period for long-running projects is March 1 - 8, 2021. During this period, technical writers submit their final work products and evaluations, and mentors submit their evaluations.

Your tasks as organization administrator for long-running projects

Help and manage your mentors.

Your tasks and responsibilities are the same as described on this page for standard-length technical writing projects.