Code of conduct

The published statement of expected behavior at an event, together with the machinery that makes it real: how someone reports a problem, who receives that report, what happens next, and how it gets reviewed afterward. Community-event practice treats it as mandatory rather than optional. The written policy is only the first quarter of it. The rest is people, because a code of conduct with no named receiver and no briefed volunteers is a poster. For a community whose entire premise is a safe, non-gatekeeping room, this document is not a legal formality sitting beside the product. It is the operating manual for the product.

Source: DevOpsDays Organizing Guide, which requires a code of conduct for every event before the event can be published and calls adherence and enforcement non-negotiable. Its four required elements are: establish reporting mechanisms with multiple avenues, train staff and volunteers to handle violations, take swift action when one is reported (up to removing the offender or involving law enforcement in severe cases), and run a post-event review of how any violation was handled. The guide also publishes an adaptable template (devopsdays.org/organizing).

First used in: 1.7 · Risk, rules, and safety.