Community Guidelines¶

Welcome to the quactuary community! We’re building an inclusive, collaborative environment where everyone can contribute to advancing quantum-accelerated actuarial modeling. These guidelines help ensure our community remains welcoming, productive, and enjoyable for all participants.

Our Values ¶

Inclusivity: We welcome contributors of all backgrounds, experience levels, and perspectives. Diversity of thought and experience makes our project stronger.
Collaboration: We work together toward common goals, sharing knowledge and supporting each other’s growth.
Excellence: We strive for high-quality code, documentation, and community interactions while being patient with those who are learning.
Innovation: We embrace new ideas and experimental approaches, especially in the evolving field of quantum computing.
Transparency: We make decisions openly, document our processes, and communicate clearly about project direction.
Respect: We treat all community members with dignity and respect, regardless of their background or experience level.

Code of Conduct ¶

Expected Behavior ¶

All community members are expected to:

Be welcoming and inclusive: Use language that welcomes all participants
Be respectful: Disagree constructively and focus on ideas, not personalities
Be collaborative: Help others learn and contribute effectively
Be patient: Remember that everyone has different experience levels
Be professional: Maintain appropriate standards in all interactions
Give credit: Acknowledge others’ contributions and ideas
Accept feedback gracefully: Use criticism as an opportunity to improve

Unacceptable Behavior ¶

The following behaviors are not tolerated:

Harassment or discrimination: Based on any personal characteristic
Trolling or deliberately disruptive behavior: Derailing discussions or creating conflict
Personal attacks: Attacking individuals rather than addressing ideas
Inappropriate content: Sexual, violent, or otherwise inappropriate material
Spam or self-promotion: Excessive promotion of unrelated projects or services
Privacy violations: Sharing others’ private information without consent
Abuse of power: Using position or influence inappropriately

Communication Guidelines ¶

GitHub Interactions ¶

Issues and Pull Requests:

Use clear, descriptive titles
Provide complete information and context
Be specific about what you need or are proposing
Respond promptly to questions and feedback
Thank contributors for their time and effort

Code Reviews:

Focus on the code, not the person
Explain the reasoning behind your suggestions
Be constructive and offer alternatives
Acknowledge good practices and improvements
Ask questions to understand design decisions

Discussions:

Stay on topic and relevant to quactuary
Search for existing discussions before starting new ones
Use appropriate formatting for code and equations
Cite sources when making technical claims
Be open to different perspectives and solutions

Language and Tone ¶

Positive Communication:

# Good examples
"I think there might be an issue with this approach because..."
"Have you considered using X instead? It might address..."
"This is a great start! One suggestion would be..."
"I'm not sure I understand this part. Could you clarify..."

What to Avoid:

# Avoid these
"This is wrong."
"You should know that..."
"Obviously, the right way is..."
"This doesn't make sense."

Technical Discussions ¶

When discussing technical topics:

Provide evidence: Back up claims with data, citations, or examples
Be precise: Use accurate terminology and avoid vague statements
Show your work: Include code examples or mathematical derivations
Acknowledge limitations: Be honest about uncertainties or assumptions
Learn from others: Be open to new information and approaches

Contributing Guidelines ¶

For New Contributors ¶

We especially welcome:

First-time open source contributors: We’ll help you learn the process
Domain experts: Actuaries, risk managers, and insurance professionals
Technical specialists: Quantum computing researchers and practitioners
Documentation writers: Clear communication is as valuable as code
Testers and users: Real-world feedback improves the project

Getting Started:

Introduce yourself: Comment on issues you’re interested in
Start small: Look for “good first issue” labels
Ask questions: Don’t hesitate to request clarification
Read the docs: Familiarize yourself with project structure and goals
Join discussions: Participate in feature planning and design conversations

For Experienced Contributors ¶

As you become more involved:

Mentor newcomers: Help others learn and contribute
Review pull requests: Share your expertise to improve code quality
Lead initiatives: Propose and drive important features or improvements
Represent the community: Speak about quactuary at conferences or events
Shape direction: Participate in roadmap planning and architectural decisions

Recognition and Credit ¶

We recognize contributions in several ways:

Documentation:: Contributors are listed in the project documentation and release notes
Authorship:: Significant contributors may be offered co-authorship on research publications
Speaking Opportunities:: Contributors are encouraged to present work at conferences and meetups
Recommendations:: We’re happy to provide professional references for active contributors
Community Roles:: Long-term contributors may be invited to take on maintainer responsibilities

Types of Contributions ¶

We value many different types of contributions:

Code Contributions ¶

Bug fixes: Resolve issues and improve reliability
New features: Add functionality that benefits users
Performance improvements: Optimize speed and memory usage
Algorithm implementations: Translate research into working code
Testing: Improve coverage and reliability

Non-Code Contributions ¶

Documentation: Write guides, tutorials, and API documentation
Examples: Create Jupyter notebooks and real-world case studies
Design: Improve user interfaces and user experience
Research: Investigate new algorithms and approaches
Community building: Organize events, answer questions, and welcome newcomers

Research and Academic Contributions ¶

Algorithm development: Design new quantum algorithms for actuarial problems
Benchmarking: Compare approaches and validate theoretical claims
Mathematical validation: Ensure correctness of implementations
Industry applications: Apply methods to real-world problems
Educational content: Create learning materials and courses

Decision-Making Process ¶

Project Governance ¶

Maintainers: Core team responsible for project direction and code quality

Contributors: Regular contributors with expertise in specific areas

Community: All users and contributors who participate in discussions

Decision Types:

Technical decisions: Architecture, APIs, algorithm choices
Project direction: Roadmap, priorities, major features
Community standards: Guidelines, processes, and policies

Process:

Discussion: Open conversation about proposed changes
Consensus building: Work toward agreement among stakeholders
Decision: Maintainers make final decisions if consensus isn’t reached
Documentation: Decisions and reasoning are recorded publicly

Roadmap Planning ¶

The project roadmap is developed through:

Community input: Issues, discussions, and user feedback
Maintainer vision: Long-term technical and strategic goals
Research priorities: Academic and industry research directions
Resource constraints: Available time and expertise

Quarterly planning sessions review progress and adjust priorities based on:

User needs and feedback
Technical feasibility
Available contributors
Research developments
Industry trends

Conflict Resolution ¶

When Disagreements Arise ¶

Technical disagreements are normal and healthy:

Focus on facts: Use data, benchmarks, and citations
Consider alternatives: Explore multiple approaches
Seek expertise: Consult domain experts or literature
Test approaches: Implement prototypes to compare options
Document trade-offs: Record the reasoning behind decisions

Resolving Conflicts ¶

If conflicts become personal or disruptive:

Direct communication: Try to resolve issues privately first
Mediation: Ask a neutral maintainer to help facilitate discussion
Escalation: Contact project leadership if resolution isn’t possible
Enforcement: Persistent violations may result in temporary or permanent bans

Community Events and Initiatives ¶

Regular Activities ¶

Virtual Meetups:: Monthly discussions about project progress, research, and applications
Hackathons:: Periodic events focused on specific features or research problems
Office Hours:: Regular times when maintainers are available for questions and mentoring
Conference Presence:: Presentations at academic conferences and industry events
Blog Posts:: Regular updates about project developments and research findings

Getting Involved ¶

Ways to participate:

Join virtual meetups: Network with other users and contributors
Participate in hackathons: Collaborate on focused projects
Present your work: Share how you use quactuary in your projects
Write blog posts: Contribute to the project blog
Organize local events: Start meetups in your area or organization

Special Programs ¶

Mentorship Program ¶

We offer mentorship for:

New contributors: Learn open source development practices
Students: Academic projects and research opportunities
Career changers: Transition into quantum computing or actuarial fields
Industry professionals: Apply academic research to practical problems

How to participate: * Mentees: Apply through GitHub discussions with your background and goals * Mentors: Volunteer to help others based on your expertise and availability

Research Partnerships ¶

We collaborate with:

Academic institutions: Joint research projects and student internships
Industry partners: Real-world applications and validation
Standards organizations: Development of industry best practices
Other open source projects: Integration and cross-pollination

Contributing to These Guidelines ¶

These guidelines evolve with our community:

Suggest improvements: Open issues to discuss changes
Share experiences: Help us understand what works and what doesn’t
Update documentation: Keep guidelines current with project changes
Translate content: Make guidelines accessible in other languages

Feedback and Questions ¶

We welcome feedback about these guidelines:

GitHub Issues: For specific suggestions or problems
Discussions: For broader conversations about community
Direct contact: Email maintainers for sensitive issues
Community surveys: Periodic feedback collection

Contact Information ¶

Project Maintainers:: See the MAINTAINERS.md file for current contact information
Code of Conduct Reports:: conduct@quactuary.dev (monitored by multiple maintainers)
General Questions:: Use GitHub Discussions or Issues for public questions
Security Issues:: security@quactuary.dev (private reporting)

Thank You ¶

Thank you for being part of the quactuary community! Your contributions, whether large or small, help advance the field of quantum-accelerated actuarial modeling and make the project better for everyone.

Together, we’re building something that can have real impact on:

Scientific research: Advancing quantum algorithms for financial applications
Industry practice: Providing practical tools for risk management
Education: Teaching quantum computing concepts through real applications
Open source: Demonstrating collaborative development in a specialized field

Your participation makes this possible. Welcome to the community!