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Thoth Tech

OnTrack Contributing Guide - 2026T1

Introduction

This guide is designed for all capstone contributors working on the OnTrack project, including frontend, backend, and documentation teams.

It provides a clear overview of how to work in a team environment using Git and GitHub, outlines expectations for group collaboration, and explains how to effectively contribute through pull requests and reviews.

This document is especially useful for students who may not have extensive experience using GitHub, ensuring all contributors can participate confidently and effectively.

Purpose

The purpose of this guide is to:

  • Help new contributors understand team expectations
  • Provide a structured workflow for completing tasks
  • Explain how to use GitHub in a team environment
  • Improve the quality of pull requests and reviews
  • Ensure smooth collaboration across all teams

Overview of Team Workflow

All contributors follow the same core workflow:

  1. Pick a task from the planner board
  2. Identify the correct repository
  3. Create a branch
  4. Make changes
  5. Test your work locally
  6. Commit changes properly
  7. Push your branch
  8. Open a pull request (PR)
  9. Get your PR reviewed
  10. Make updates if required
  11. Merge once approved

Group Work Expectations

All team members are expected to:

  • Communicate regularly with the team
  • Contribute consistently to assigned tasks
  • Review other team members’ work where required
  • Maintain a respectful and collaborative approach

Team Communication (Microsoft Teams)

Effective communication is essential.

  • Check Teams regularly
  • Respond in a reasonable time
  • Use clear communication
  • Tag relevant members

Meetings and Attendance

  • Attend meetings regularly
  • Give updates
  • Participate in discussions

Capstone requires ~70% attendance, which supports both your progress and the team.

Example Pull Request Workflow

This example demonstrates a full GitHub workflow from local changes to a submitted pull request.

1. Branch Setup

Yeshin:onboardinginfoT3 → thoth-tech:main

This indicates that work is completed on a separate branch and merged safely into the main project.

2. Making Changes Locally

The contributor created new files and folders locally using VS Code before committing changes.

3. Committing Changes

git add . git commit -m “Creating the folder for 2025 Trimester 3 in Teams and contributions”

Clear commit messages help other team members understand what was changed.

4. Pushing to GitHub

git push origin onboardinginfoT3

This uploads the branch to GitHub and makes it available for review.

5. Creating the Pull Request

  • Click Compare & Pull Request
  • Set base and compare branches
  • Add a clear description
  • Submit the PR

6. Review and Merge

  • Team members review the changes
  • Feedback is provided if needed
  • Updates are made by the contributor
  • PR is merged once approved

Authors

Yeshin Govdender Leeon Gourav Rangey

Document Version: 2026T1 Last Updated: 4/7/2026