WordPress 5.8 ‘Tatum’ Retrospective

A lot of things changed with the way that the WordPress 5.8 release was managed. A retrospective is always a good idea after a project, but in this case I wanted to be sure I cataloged the big changes for anyone who felt that it was different, but couldn’t quite put words to it. I originally shared this with the release team in Slack.

  • The teamwork had a different feeling. Instead of having buddies or cohorts of learning contributors (roughly one-to-one), we put the squad in a public channel to coordinate the work (one-to-many).
  • The release process had a different feeling. We made feature freeze independent of any other type of milestone and also are trying to be more focused about what work is done in each phase.
  • The included features had a different feeling. Instead of flipping the switch on a massive change for everyone, full site editing is being being shipped in smaller, more manageable chunks so it’s easier to catch up and we can iterate as we go.
  • The environment is different. We’ve all been struggling through this pandemic and being isolated from those we care for. Whether we recognize it or not, that has a profound impact on what we choose to do with our spare time, how we are able to meet others where they are, and whether we “grow through” or “bounce back” from hurdles that stand in our way.

Anyone is welcome to participate in this retro, so please take a few moments to fill in the form or leave public feedback in the comments below. It is not anonymous in case I need some clarification, but your email address will not be kept. The form will be open until August 15, 2021.

Thank you everyone for your contribution to this release, and thanks in advance for taking the time to help make future releases even better!

#5-8, #retrospective