# Upstream Development Approach Early committer status and individual merit are some incentives we want to encourage upstream development. We should return to the Apache Way and how this is one type of contribution that helps to build merit. We also need to better communicate the process of contributing upstream through this section, rather than just developing off-list and throwing it over the fence. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.mifos.org/general-contributing-guidelines/upstream-first-approach.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.