Make sure all core repo's follow Github best practices in terms of license, description, contributing guidelines, Issue and PR templates, readme's, etc. etc.

[johnellingsworth]

Standardize GitHub Organization Best Practices

As a Org Owner, I want to implement GitHub security best practices across the org and all core repositories, So that we have secure, consistent, well-documented, and maintainer/contributor-friendly projects

Acceptance Criteria

Repository Documentation

• [ ] Each repository has a complete README.md with:
  • Project description and purpose
  • Installation/setup instructions
  • Usage examples
  • Development environment setup
  • Link to documentation
  • Build/test instructions
  • Status badges (CI/CD, security, code coverage)

Legal and Licensing

• [ ] Clear LICENSE file in repository root
• [ ] Copyright notices where applicable
• [ ] Code of Conduct file present
• [ ] Contributing guidelines that:
  • Explain the development process
  • Define coding standards
  • Describe commit message conventions
  • Detail PR submission process

Templates

• [ ] Issue templates for:
  • Bug reports
  • Feature requests
  • Security vulnerabilities
  • Documentation improvements
• [ ] Pull Request template with:
  • Description of changes
  • Related issue references
  • Testing instructions
  • Checklist for submitters
  • Checklist for reviewers

Repository Settings

• [ ] Branch protection rules configured
• [ ] Required status checks enabled
• [ ] Required reviews before merging
• [ ] Appropriate repository visibility settings
• [ ] Defined merge strategy (squash, rebase, etc.)
• [ ] Automated dependency updates enabled

Repository Organization

• [ ] Consistent folder structure
• [ ] .gitignore file properly configured
• [ ] GitHub Actions workflows documented
• [ ] Security policy (SECURITY.md) defined
• [ ] Changelog maintenance process documented

Definition of Done

• All core repositories follow the standardized structure
• Documentation is complete and up-to-date
• Templates are tested and functional
• Repository settings are uniformly applied
• Team members are trained on new standards
• Automated checks verify compliance where possible

Notes

• Consider automation scripts to verify compliance
• Consider multi-language template variations
• Document exceptions process
• Plan regular review of standards
• Include repository archival criteria

This is a medium priority issue as an insecure organization increases the risk of unintended consequences that could impact the project.

[johnellingsworth]

I have submitted a request for access to new GitHub Issues features: https://github.blog/changelog/2024-10-01-evolving-github-issues-public-beta/