Role of different groups in W3C

An interesting discussion was taking place on the AC list and I got
permission to share one member's take on the key Roles/Groups within W3C -
these being the AC, the AB, and TAG as we add a formal corporate board into
the mix.

These roles are formally defined here:
  https://www.w3.org/2021/Process-20211102/#ac-role (section 3.2.1)
  https://www.w3.org/2021/Process-20211102/#ab-role (section 3.3.1.1)
  https://www.w3.org/2021/Process-20211102/#tag-role (section 3.3.2.1)
And the formal definition should be considered when in doubt or for precise
definitions.

fantasai shared a personal take on these roles, that I thought was
especially poignant and can act as a good mental model to think about the
roles, especially as we see the addition of a formal corporate board in the
new legal entity. Thankfully she consented to me sharing with the list here
(with the request to withhold her email for spam concerns - she is bcc-ed
on this note):

Heya!
> I wanted to put some of my thoughts about the AB... there's a lot of focus
> on
> the Board election, and yes, the Board is very important, but I think the
> AB
> is also important and I don't want us to lose sight of that. Just as the
> activities of the AB and TAG are distinct but equally important to W3C, the
> activities of the Board and the AB will be distinct and equally important.


The Advisory Board
> * manages the Process, which is the “Constitution” for our standardization
> activities
>    -> this also means managing the transition to a Director-free model;
>       ** Note the Board is not involved in this effort at all! **
> * oversees the CEPC and other guidelines on behavior
> * provides overall guidance to the Team and Chairs on W3C's day-to-day
> processes and operations
> * helps the Team plan events like TPAC and the AC meetings, to ensure they
> meet Member needs
> * advises the Team on conflict resolution as needed
> * helps identify, propose, and prioritize projects to improve the
> functioning
> of W3C
> * under the Director-free Process, will be 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:
> * vision and strategy for the organization
> * allocation and management of staff
> * liaisons with other organizations


But for the most part each of our top-tier governance councils--the TAG, the
> AB, and the Board--will have their own responsibilities, all of which need
> to
> be executed well for W3C to function well:
> - TAG for technical oversight
> - AB for standardization process and community oversight
> - Board for operational and financial oversight


(The Board by itself is not the “top” of W3C. It is only the top of W3C
> Inc.,
> the legal entity which exists to support W3C the standards organization,
> which
> is the 28-year-old organization we are all participating in.)