AB/AB and BoD roles
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 that describes those roles from the AB's perspective. It began with an issue at https://github.com/w3c/AB-memberonly/issues/140, and 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)
- Hears a Submission Appeal when a Member Submission is rejected for reasons unrelated to Web architecture; see also the TAG
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