WordPress Plugin Review Team Addresses Backlog of 900 Plugins, Implements Strategies to Improve Approval Process
The WordPress Plugin Review team is currently facing a significant backlog of plugin submissions awaiting approval. As of this week, there are 870 plugins in the review queue, with an average wait time of 61 days before the initial review. This backlog has drawn attention from the WordPress community, with developers expressing frustration over the long wait times.
One such developer, Marcus Burnette, recently took to Twitter to highlight the issue after submitting his own plugin for review. He reported that his plugin took two months to be approved. Other developers chimed in, sharing similar experiences with lengthy approval times.
In response to these concerns, WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy invited contributors who are interested in learning how to review plugins to apply and join the team. This call for new reviewers aims to address the backlog and expedite the approval process.
The Plugin Review team has undergone significant restructuring in recent months. Following the departure of long-time contributor Mika Epstein, the team added six new sponsored volunteers and opened applications for additional team members. New team representatives have been selected, and there are over 20 applicants expressing interest in volunteering.
One of the challenges identified during the onboarding process for new team members was the lack of clear documentation. Francisco Torres, a newly selected team representative, stated that many processes were not adequately documented. To address this issue, the team has been diligently documenting all the information shared by Mika Epstein to make it easier for new contributors to join the team.
Additionally, the team has improved its internal tools to catch common coding mistakes and has integrated predefined responses into the output provided by these tools. While the content is still reviewed manually before sending out replies, merging the code review and message drafting tasks has significantly reduced review time.
To tackle the backlog more efficiently, the Plugin Review team has implemented a new strategy. They now perform a cursory initial review of plugins, followed by a more thorough review once the most obvious issues have been addressed by the plugin author. This approach allows the team to identify any major issues early on and request fixes from the author before proceeding with a comprehensive review.
The backlog of plugin submissions can be demoralizing for developers who are eager to share their open-source plugins with the WordPress community. However, with the implementation of these strategies and the ongoing efforts to document and refine the review process, the Plugin Review Team aims to onboard new reviewers and expedite the approval process.
In conclusion, the WordPress Plugin Review team is actively addressing the backlog of 900 plugins awaiting approval. By inviting new contributors to join the team, documenting processes, improving internal tools, and implementing a more efficient review strategy, they are working towards reducing wait times and providing a better experience for developers. With these efforts in place, developers can look forward to a smoother and faster plugin approval process in the future.
