diff --git a/.github/pull_request_template.md b/.github/pull_request_template.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a589e41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/pull_request_template.md
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+Following this checklist to help us incorporate your 
+contribution quickly and easily:
+
+ - [ ] Make sure there is a [JIRA issue](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/MASSEMBLY) filed 
+       for the change (usually before you start working on it).  Trivial changes like typos do not 
+       require a JIRA issue.  Your pull request should address just this issue, without 
+       pulling in other changes.
+ - [ ] Each commit in the pull request should have a meaningful subject line and body.
+ - [ ] Format the pull request title like `[MASSEMBLY-XXX] - Fixes bug in ApproximateQuantiles`,
+       where you replace `MASSEMBLY-XXX` with the appropriate JIRA issue. Best practice
+       is to use the JIRA issue title in the pull request title and in the first line of the 
+       commit message.
+ - [ ] Write a pull request description that is detailed enough to understand what the pull request does, how, and why.
+ - [ ] Run `mvn clean verify` to make sure basic checks pass. A more thorough check will 
+       be performed on your pull request automatically.
+ - [ ] You have run the integration tests successfully (`mvn -Prun-its clean verify`).
+
+If your pull request is about ~20 lines of code you don't need to sign an
+[Individual Contributor License Agreement](https://www.apache.org/licenses/icla.pdf) if you are unsure
+please ask on the developers list.
+
+To make clear that you license your contribution under 
+the [Apache License Version 2.0, January 2004](http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)
+you have to acknowledge this by using the following check-box.
+
+ - [ ] I hereby declare this contribution to be licenced under the [Apache License Version 2.0, January 2004](http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)
+
+ - [ ] In any other case, please file an [Apache Individual Contributor License Agreement](https://www.apache.org/licenses/icla.pdf).
+
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..851ddbf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+<!---
+ Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+ Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ limitations under the License.
+-->
+Contributing to Apache Maven Assembly Plugin
+======================
+
+You have found a bug or you have an idea for a cool new feature? Contributing
+code is a great way to give something back to the open source community. Before
+you dig right into the code, there are a few guidelines that we need
+contributors to follow so that we can have a chance of keeping on top of
+things.
+
+Some of the ideas are documented in the [Maven Wiki][maven-wiki]
+which might be interesting to read and for further discussion.
+
+Getting Started
+---------------
+
++ Make sure you have a [JIRA account](https://issues.apache.org/jira/).
++ Make sure you have a [GitHub account](https://github.com/signup/free).
++ If you're planning to implement a new feature, it makes sense to discuss your changes 
+  on the [dev list](https://maven.apache.org/mail-lists.html) first. 
+  This way you can make sure you're not wasting your time on something that isn't 
+  considered to be in Apache Maven's scope.
++ Submit a ticket for your issue, assuming one does not already exist.
+  + Clearly describe the issue, including steps to reproduce when it is a bug.
+  + Make sure you fill in the earliest version that you know has the issue.
++ Fork the repository on GitHub.
+
+Making and Submitting Changes
+--------------
+
+We accept Pull Requests via GitHub. The [developer mailing list][dev-ml-list] is the
+main channel of communication for contributors.  
+There are some guidelines which will make applying PRs easier for us:
++ Create a topic branch from where you want to base your work (this is usually the master branch).
+  Push your changes to a topic branch in your fork of the repository.
++ Make commits of logical units.
++ Respect the original code style: by using the same [codestyle][code-style],
+  patches should only highlight the actual difference, not being disturbed by any formatting issues:
+  + Only use spaces for indentation.
+  + Create minimal diffs - disable on save actions like reformat source code or organize imports. 
+    If you feel the source code should be reformatted, create a separate PR for this change.
+  + Check for unnecessary whitespace with `git diff --check` before committing.
++ Make sure your commit messages are in the proper format. Your commit message should contain the key of the JIRA issue.
+```
+[MASSEMBLY-XXX] - Subject of the JIRA Ticket
+ Optional supplemental description.
+```
++ Make sure you have added the necessary tests (JUnit/IT) for your changes.
++ Run all the tests with `mvn -Prun-its verify` to assure nothing else was accidentally broken.
++ Submit a pull request to the repository in the Apache organization.
++ Update your JIRA ticket and include a link to the pull request in the ticket.
+
+If you plan to contribute on a regular basis, please consider filing a [contributor license agreement][cla].
+
+Making Trivial Changes
+----------------------
+
+For changes of a trivial nature to comments and documentation, it is not always
+necessary to create a new ticket in JIRA.  In this case, it is appropriate to
+start the first line of a commit with '(doc)' instead of a ticket number.
+
+Additional Resources
+--------------------
+
++ [Contributing patches](https://maven.apache.org/guides/development/guide-maven-development.html#Creating_and_submitting_a_patch)
++ [Apache Maven Assembly JIRA project page](https://issues.apache.org/jira/projects/MASSEMBLY/)
++ [Contributor License Agreement][cla]
++ [General GitHub documentation](https://help.github.com/)
++ [GitHub pull request documentation](https://help.github.com/send-pull-requests/)
++ [Apache Maven Twitter Account](https://twitter.com/ASFMavenProject)
++ #Maven IRC channel on freenode.org
+
+[dev-ml-list]: http://maven.apache.org/mailing-lists.html
+[code-style]: https://maven.apache.org/developers/conventions/code.html
+[cla]: https://www.apache.org/licenses/#clas
+[maven-wiki]: https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MAVEN/Index
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f666ba9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+<!---
+ Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+ Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ limitations under the License.
+-->
+Contributing to Apache Maven Assembly Plugin
+======================
+
+[![Apache License, Version 2.0, January 2004](https://img.shields.io/github/license/apache/maven.svg?label=License)][license]
+[![Maven Central](https://img.shields.io/maven-central/v/org.apache.maven.plugins/maven-assembly-plugin.svg?label=Maven%20Central)](https://search.maven.org/#search%7Cgav%7C1%7Cg%3A%22org.apache.maven.plugins%22%20AND%20a%3A%22maven-assembly-plugin%22)
+[![Jenkins Status](https://img.shields.io/jenkins/s/https/builds.apache.org/job/maven-box/job/maven-assembly-plugin/job/master.svg?style=flat-square)][build]
+[![Jenkins tests](https://img.shields.io/jenkins/t/https/builds.apache.org/job/maven-box/job/maven-assembly-plugin/job/master.svg?style=flat-square)][test-results]
+
+
+You have found a bug or you have an idea for a cool new feature? Contributing
+code is a great way to give something back to the open source community. Before
+you dig right into the code, there are a few guidelines that we need
+contributors to follow so that we can have a chance of keeping on top of
+things.
+
+Getting Started
+---------------
+
++ Make sure you have a [JIRA account](https://issues.apache.org/jira/).
++ Make sure you have a [GitHub account](https://github.com/signup/free).
++ If you're planning to implement a new feature, it makes sense to discuss your changes 
+  on the [dev list](https://maven.apache.org/mailing-lists.html) first. 
+  This way you can make sure you're not wasting your time on something that isn't 
+  considered to be in Apache Maven's scope.
++ Submit a ticket for your issue, assuming one does not already exist.
+  + Clearly describe the issue, including steps to reproduce when it is a bug.
+  + Make sure you fill in the earliest version that you know has the issue.
++ Fork the repository on GitHub.
+
+Making and Submitting Changes
+--------------
+
+We accept Pull Requests via GitHub. The [developer mailing list][dev-ml-list] is the
+main channel of communication for contributors.  
+There are some guidelines which will make applying PRs easier for us:
++ Create a topic branch from where you want to base your work (this is usually the master branch).
+  Push your changes to a topic branch in your fork of the repository.
++ Make commits of logical units.
++ Respect the original code style: by using the same [codestyle][code-style],
+  patches should only highlight the actual difference, not being disturbed by any formatting issues:
+  + Only use spaces for indentation.
+  + Create minimal diffs - disable on save actions like reformat source code or organize imports. 
+    If you feel the source code should be reformatted, create a separate PR for this change.
+  + Check for unnecessary whitespace with `git diff --check` before committing.
++ Make sure your commit messages are in the proper format. Your commit message should contain the key of the JIRA issue.
+```
+[MASSEMBLY-XXX] - Subject of the JIRA Ticket
+ Optional supplemental description.
+```
++ Make sure you have added the necessary tests (JUnit/IT) for your changes.
++ Run all the tests with `mvn -Prun-its verify` to assure nothing else was accidentally broken.
++ Submit a pull request to the repository in the Apache organization.
++ Update your JIRA ticket and include a link to the pull request in the ticket.
+
+If you plan to contribute on a regular basis, please consider filing a [contributor license agreement][cla].
+
+Making Trivial Changes
+----------------------
+
+For changes of a trivial nature to comments and documentation, it is not always
+necessary to create a new ticket in JIRA.  In this case, it is appropriate to
+start the first line of a commit with '(doc)' instead of a ticket number.
+
+Additional Resources
+--------------------
+
++ [Contributing patches](https://maven.apache.org/guides/development/guide-maven-development.html#Creating_and_submitting_a_patch)
++ [Apache Maven Assembly JIRA project page](https://issues.apache.org/jira/projects/MASSEMBLY/)
++ [Contributor License Agreement][cla]
++ [General GitHub documentation](https://help.github.com/)
++ [GitHub pull request documentation](https://help.github.com/send-pull-requests/)
++ [Apache Maven Twitter Account](https://twitter.com/ASFMavenProject)
++ #Maven IRC channel on freenode.org
+
+[license]: https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+[dev-ml-list]: https://maven.apache.org/mailing-lists.html
+[code-style]: https://maven.apache.org/developers/conventions/code.html
+[cla]: https://www.apache.org/licenses/#clas
+[maven-wiki]: https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MAVEN/Index
+[test-results]: https://builds.apache.org/job/maven-box/job/maven-assembly-plugin/job/master/lastCompletedBuild/testReport/
+[build]: https://builds.apache.org/job/maven-box/job/maven-assembly-plugin/job/master/