AB/AB and BoD roles
Roles of the W3C Advisory Board and the Board of Directors
The W3C Advisory Board (AB) and the W3C Board of Directors (BoD) serve both different and shared roles at W3C and this document is a draft by the AB that describes those roles from the AB's perspective. It began with an issue at https://github.com/w3c/AB-memberonly/issues/140 and was drafted at https://github.com/w3c/AB-memberonly/blob/main/documents/ABvsBOD.MD. The AB expects to evolve & adapt these roles as we gain experience and to meet new needs as the W3C itself evolves.
The Advisory Board
The Advisory Board is a Member-elected body that:
- Provides ongoing guidance to the Team on issues of strategy, management, legal matters, process, and conflict resolution
- Serves the Members by tracking issues raised between Advisory Committee meetings, soliciting Member comments on such issues, and proposing actions to resolve these issues
- Manages the evolution of the Process Document, particularly the transition to a Director-free model
- Oversees the evolution of the CEPC and other guidelines on behavior, and advises the Team on conflict resolution as needed
- Helps the Team plan events like TPAC and the AC meetings, to ensure they meet Member needs
- Helps the Team identify, propose, and prioritize projects to improve the functioning of W3C
- Under the Director-free Process, is jointly responsible with the TAG for resolving Formal Objections--with a special focus on addressing fairness of process and similar concerns (whereas the TAG members are expected to provide technical expertise)
There are some areas where we should expect the Board and the AB to collaborate:
- Defining vision and strategy for the organization
- Examining allocation and management of staff
- Liaising with other organizations
The Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is the governing body of the W3C public-interest non-profit organization, and Directors on this Board are formally responsible for the correct running of the organization; Board responsibilities may include:
- Financial oversight (e.g., accounts, budgets, reserve management)
- Operational oversight, in particular evolving the Host/Partner structure of the W3C
- Personnel oversight, notably of the CEO, who is appointed by, and reports to, the Board
- Oversight of significant decisions, such as mergers or MoUs