📖 Add Roadmaps to bring visibility and allow better collaboration

roadmap/README.md

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+# Kubebuilder Roadmaps
+
+**Welcome to the Kubebuilder Roadmaps directory!**
+
+This space is dedicated to housing the strategic roadmaps for the
+Kubebuilder project, organized by year. Each document within this repository
+outlines the key initiatives, objectives, and goals for Kubebuilder, reflecting our
+commitment to enhancing the development experience within the Kubernetes ecosystem.
+
+Below, you will find links to the roadmap document for each year. These documents provide insights into the
+specific objectives set for the project during that time, the motivation behind each goal, and the progress
+made towards achieving them:
+
+- [Roadmap 2024](roadmap_2024.md)
+
+## :point_right: New plugins/RFEs to provide integrations within other Projects
+
+As Kubebuilder evolves, we prioritize a focused project scope and minimal reliance on third-party dependencies,
+concentrating on features that bring the most value to our community.
+
+While recognizing the need for flexibility, we opt not to directly support third-party project integrations.
+Instead, we've enhanced Kubebuilder as a library, enabling any project to create compatible plugins.
+This approach delegates maintenance to those with the deepest understanding of their projects, fostering higher
+quality and community contributions.
+
+We're here to support you in developing your own Kubebuilder plugins.
+For guidance on [Creating Your own plugins](https://kubebuilder.io/plugins/creating-plugins).
+
+This strategy empowers our users and contributors to innovate,
+keeping Kubebuilder streamlined and focused on essential Kubernetes development functionalities.
+
+**Therefore, our primary objective remains to offer a CLI tool that assists users in developing
+solutions for deployment and distribution on Kubernetes clusters using Golang.
+We aim to simplify the complexities involved and speed up the development process,
+thereby lowering the learning curve.**
+
+## :steam_locomotive: Contributing
+
+Your input and contributions are what make Kubebuilder a continually
+evolving and improving project. We encourage the community to participate in discussions,
+provide feedback on the roadmaps, and contribute to the development efforts.
+
+If you have suggestions for future objectives or want to get involved
+in current initiatives, please refer to our [contributing guidelines](./../CONTRIBUTING.md)
+or reach out to the project maintainers. Please, feel free either
+to raise new issues and/or Pull Requests against this repository with your
+suggestions.
+
+## :loudspeaker: Stay Tuned
+
+For the latest updates, discussions, and contributions to the Kubebuilder project,
+please join our community channels and forums. Your involvement is crucial for the
+sustained growth and success of Kubebuilder.
+
+**:tada: Thank you for being a part of the Kubebuilder journey.**
+
+Together, we are building the future of Kubernetes development.
+
+## Template for roadmap items
+
+```markdown
+### [Goal Title]
+
+**Status:** [Status Emoji] [Short Status Update]
+
+**Objective:** [Brief description of the objective]
+
+**Context:** [Optional - Any relevant background or broader context]
+
+**Motivations:** [Optional - If applicable]
+- [Key motivation 1]
+- [Key motivation 2]
+
+**Proposed Solutions:** [Optional - If applicable]
+- [Solution 1]
+- [Solution 2]
+- [More as needed]
+
+**References:** [Optional - Links to discussions, PRs, issues, etc.]
+- [Reference 1 with URL]
+- [Reference 2 with URL]
+- [More as needed]
+```

roadmap/roadmap_2024.md

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+# Kubebuilder Project Roadmap 2024
+
+### **(Major Release for Kubebuilder CLI 4.x)** Removing Deprecated Plugins for Enhanced Maintainability and User Experience
+
+**Status:** :construction: Work in Progress
+
+**Objective:** To remove all deprecated plugins from Kubebuilder to improve project maintainability and
+enhance user experience. This initiative also includes updating the project documentation to provide clear
+and concise information, eliminating any confusion for users. **More Info:** [GitHub Discussion #3622](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/discussions/3622)
+
+**Motivation:** By focusing on removing deprecated plugins—specifically, versions or kinds that can no
+longer be supported—we aim to streamline the development process and ensure a higher quality user experience.
+Clear and updated documentation will further assist in making development workflows more efficient and less prone to errors.
+
+---
+### Proposal Pending: Seeking Feedbacks for kube-rbac-proxy's Role in Default Scaffold
+
+**Status:** :construction: Work in Progress. See: https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/pull/3860
+
+**Objective:** Evaluate potential modifications or the exclusion of [kube-rbac-proxy](https://github.com/brancz/kube-rbac-proxy)
+from the default Kubebuilder scaffold in response to deprecations and evolving user requirements.
+
+**Context:** [kube-rbac-proxy](https://github.com/brancz/kube-rbac-proxy) , a key component for securing Kubebuilder-generated projects,
+faces significant deprecations that impact automatic certificate generation.
+For more insights into these challenges, see [Issue #3524](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/issues/3524).
+
+This situation necessitates a reevaluation of its inclusion and potentially prompts users to
+adopt alternatives like cert-manager by default. Additionally, the requirement to manually rebuild
+[kube-rbac-proxy images—due](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/blob/master/RELEASE.md#to-build-the-kube-rbac-proxy-images)
+to its external status from Kubernetes-SIG—places a considerable maintenance
+burden on Kubebuilder maintainers.
+
+**Motivations:**
+- Address kube-rbac-proxy breaking changes/deprecations.
+  - For further information: [Issue #3524 - kube-rbac-proxy warn about deprecation and future breaking changes](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/issues/3524)
+- Feedback from the community has highlighted a preference for cert-manager's default integration, aiming security with Prometheus and metrics.
+  - More info: [GitHub Issue #3524 - Improve scaffolding of ServiceMonitor](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/issues/3657)
+- Desire for kube-rbac-proxy to be optional, citing its prescriptive nature.
+  - See: [Issue #3482 - The kube-rbac-proxy is too opinionated to be opt-out.](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/issues/3482)
+- Reduce the maintainability effort to generate the images used by Kubebuilder projects and dependency within third-party solutions.
+  - Related issues:
+    - [Issue #1885 - use a NetworkPolicy instead of kube-rbac-proxy](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/issues/1885)
+    - [Issue #3230 - Migrate away from google.com gcp project kubebuilder](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/issues/3230)
+
+**Proposed Solutions:**
+
+- **Making kube-rbac-proxy Optional:** Offering users the option to include kube-rbac-proxy caters to diverse project
+  requirements and simplifies the transition towards its potential externalization or removal,
+  reducing future maintenance efforts.
+
+- **Leveraging NetworkPolicies:** This alternative focuses on minimizing external dependencies by
+  utilizing Kubernetes-native solutions like NetworkPolicies, in line with our maintenance reduction goals.
+
+- **Default Enablement of cert-manager:** While not directly addressing the maintenance concerns related to
+  kube-rbac-proxy, defaulting to cert-manager responds to community feedback and navigates the upcoming deprecations.
+  This strategy also acknowledges cert-manager's existing role as a prerequisite for webhooks.
+
+---
+### Providing Helpers for Project Distribution
+
+#### Distribution via Kustomize
+
+**Status:** :white_check_mark: Complete
+
+As of release ([v3.14.0](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/releases/tag/v3.14.0)),
+Kubebuilder includes enhanced support for project distribution.
+Users can now scaffold projects with a `build-installer` makefile target.
+This improvement enables the straightforward deployment of solutions directly to Kubernetes clusters.
+Users can deploy their projects using commands like:
+
+```shell
+kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/<org>/my-project/<tag or branch>/dist/install.yaml
+```
+
+This enhancement streamlines the process of getting Kubebuilder projects running on clusters, providing a seamless deployment experience.
+
+#### (New Optional Plugin) Helm Chart Packaging
+
+**Status:** :raised_hands: Proposal in Progress; Seeking Contributions
+
+**Objective:** We aim to introduce a new plugin for Kubebuilder that packages projects as Helm charts,
+facilitating easier distribution and integration of solutions within the Kubernetes ecosystem. For details on this proposal and how to contribute,
+see [GitHub Pull Request #3632](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/pull/3632).
+
+**Motivation:** The growth of the Kubernetes ecosystem underscores the need for flexible and
+accessible distribution methods. A Helm chart packaging plugin would simplify the distribution of the solutions
+and allow easily integrations with common applications used by administrators.
+
+---
+### Updating Scaffolding to Align with the Latest changes of controller-runtime
+
+**Status:** :raised_hands: Seeking help from the contributors
+
+**Objective:** Update Kubebuilder's controller scaffolding to align with the latest changes
+in controller-runtime, focusing on compatibility and addressing recent updates and deprecations
+mainly related to webhooks.
+
+**Context:** Kubebuilder's plugin system is designed for stability, yet it depends on controller-runtime,
+which is evolving rapidly with versions still under 1.0.0. Notable changes and deprecations,
+especially around webhooks, necessitate Kubebuilder's alignment with the latest practices
+and functionalities of controller-runtime. We need update the Kubebuilder scaffolding,
+samples, and documentation.
+
+**References:**
+- [Issue - Deprecations in Controller-Runtime and Impact on Webhooks](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/issues/3721) - An issue detailing the deprecations in controller-runtime that affect Kubebuilder's approach to webhooks.
+- [PR - Update to Align with Latest Controller-Runtime Webhook Interface](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/pull/3399) - A pull request aimed at updating Kubebuilder to match controller-runtime's latest webhook interface.
+- [PR - Enhancements to Controller Scaffolding for Upcoming Controller-Runtime Changes](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/pull/3723) - A pull request proposing enhancements to Kubebuilder's controller scaffolding in anticipation of upcoming changes in controller-runtime.
+
+---
+### Transition from Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to build and promote binaries and images
+
+**Status:** :construction: Seeking Feedbacks and Contributions
+- **Kubebuilder CLI**: :white_check_mark: Complete. It has been building using go releaser. [More info](./../build/.goreleaser.yml)
+- **kube-rbac-proxy Images:**  :raised_hands: Seeking Feedback, see: https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/pull/3860
+- **EnvTest binaries:** :construction: Controller-Runtime maintainers are working in a solution to build them out and take the ownership over this one. More info:
+  - https://kubernetes.slack.com/archives/C02MRBMN00Z/p1712457941924299
+  - https://kubernetes.slack.com/archives/CCK68P2Q2/p1713174342482079
+
+**Objective:** Shift Kubernetes (k8s) project infrastructure from GCP to shared infrastructures.
+Furthermore, move away from the registry `k8s.gcr.io` to `registry.k8s.io`.
+
+**Motivation:** The initiative to move away from GCP aligns with the broader k8s project's
+goal of utilizing shared infrastructures. This transition is crucial for ensure the availability
+of the artifacts in the long run and align complience with other projects under the kubernetes-sig org.
+[Issue #2647](https://github.com/kubernetes/k8s.io/issues/2647) provides more details on the move.
+
+**Context:** Currently, Google Cloud is used only for:
+
+- **Rebuild and provide the images for kube-rbac-proxy:**
+
+A particular challenge has been the necessity to rebuild images for the
+[kube-rbac-proxy](https://github.com/brancz/kube-rbac-proxy), which is in the process of being
+donated to kubernetes-sig. This transition was expected to eliminate the need for
+continuous re-tagging and rebuilding of its images to ensure their availability to users.
+The configuration for building these images is outlined
+[here](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/blob/master/RELEASE.md#to-build-the-kube-rbac-proxy-images).
+
+- **Build and Promote EnvTest binaries**:
+
+The development of Kubebuilder Tools and EnvTest binaries,
+essential for controller tests, represents another area reliant on k8s binaries
+traditionally built within GCP environments. Our documentation on building these artifacts is
+available [here](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/blob/master/RELEASE.md#to-build-the-kubebuilder-tools-artifacts-required-to-use-env-test).
+
+**We encourage the Kubebuilder community to participate in this discussion, offering feedback and contributing ideas
+to refine these proposals. Your involvement is crucial in shaping the future of secure and efficient project scaffolding in Kubebuilder.**