AELIP-43: Establish a DevDAO

Author	Ser Link, Saeta
Status	Implemented
Implementor	TBD
Release	TBD
Created	2023-02-12

Simple Summary

This is a proposal to create a structure that allows qualified community members to work alongside the Aelin core contributors and be compensated for their efforts.

Abstract

This AELIP proposes to establish DevDAO which will be a sub-DAO that facilitates the process by which community members contribute to Aelin by means of picking tickets and then being compensated for their work.

Motivation

As Aelin continues to mature as a protocol, there are an increasing number of ways in which technically inclined community members can contribute to the growth of the protocol which allows core contributors to focus on other tasks to grow the protocol, such as strategy and outreach. This will allow Aelin to increase its technical bandwidth and become more decentralized as additional people will be contributing to the protocol’s codebase.

Specification

Overview

The DevDAO requires an interface (Discord, Github, etc.) where community developers can monitor open tickets with their associated reward, the core contributors will be responsible for providing a board. A reward would only be given to a community developer in the event that a pull request for a given ticket was evaluated by an auditor and merged by a core contributor. Community PM: An individual who prepares tickets and handles project management for community-driven initiatives. This individual works directly with core contributors as well as community members to create and manage tickets, assess pull requests, support the Aelin development community, and communicate community needs to core contributors. The Aelin Community PM will receive a compensation package along with core contributor privileges (unless already a core contributor). The Community PM will determine if an AELIP or external audit is required for a ticket to reach the completed phase. Tickets that require an AELIP will be determined by whether they are cosmetic or protocol level changes. Tickets that require external audits will be managed in collaboration with core contributors and the DAO will be responsible for covering audit costs. The Community PM can reserve tickets for individuals if they are confident that the developer can execute on the ticket.

Bounty Hunter: Individuals who take on entry-level tickets. Aelin Community Dev: Vetted individuals who routinely take on intermediate to advanced tickets. These individuals are eligible for recurring compensation in addition to ticket bounty rewards, adding an element of security to their position. Recurring compensation will be issued by the Treasury Council. As trusted individuals who have proven that they can deliver quality work, higher-level tickets will be reserved for them along with higher tiers of rewards. Auditors: An auditor will review code prior to it being merged to ensure there are no bugs and that the code meets Aelin community standards. Rewards for auditors will be determined by the Aelin Community PM on a case-by-case basis. Auditors can be trusted community members given the role by the Community PM, Aelin Community Devs who were not responsible for writing the code being audited, or core contributors. For a ticket to pass the auditing phase, both a community auditor and core contributor must have audited and approved the code. Rewards & Compensation: Compensation will be determined by the Community PM and core contributors prior to the start of the project although revision may occur for significant scope changes. Compensation will primarily be issued in the form of Aelin tokens.

Rationale

Establishing a DevDAO will increase the amount of work that can be completed, increase the decentralization of the protocol, and engage the talented developers in the Aelin community. Aelin reviewed the Kwenta devDAO which was created in early 2022 and modeled Aelin’s version after receiving feedback from Kwenta regarding what worked well and what didn’t.