2016 W3C Internal Reorganization (original) (raw)

Table of Contents

1. 1. Background
2. 2. The Problem
3. 3. Functional Structure
   1. 3.1 Strategy Management
   2. 3.2 Project Management
   3. 3.3 Architecture and Technology Management
   4. 3.4 Industry Management
   5. 3.5 Global Participation Management
   6. 3.6 Member Satisfaction Management
   7. 3.7 Community Management
   8. 3.8 Business Development
   9. 3.9 Other functions
      1. 3.9.1 Administration and Operations
      2. 3.9.2 Marketing and Communications
      3. 3.9.3 Systems
      4. 3.9.4 Legal
   10. 3.10 Maintaining a strong technical focus
4. 4. Amelioration

1. Background

W3C’s Domain structure served it and the Web well for most of our first two decades. In the earlier days of the Web, when the platform was relatively simple, technologies fell neatly into different domains. More recently, however, as the platform’s uses and ecosystem have grown and changed, the Domain model has struggled to meet the full potential of the Web.

We tried to make up for Domain-based management’s shortcomings by surrounding the Domains with a number of other management systems focused on cross-domain, industry, and member communications. Buttressed with these additional mechanisms, the Domain-based structure survived, but its foundational flaws need to be repaired. So we will now move to a different, functional, approach to the management of W3C that better accords with the nature of today’s Web and the expectations of its diverse users, developers, and implementers.

To lead the Web to its full potential today requires a flexible team organized to interact with a complex ecosystem of technologies, stakeholders, and industries. It requires well-researched strategy development, rigorous project management, and careful architectural coordination. Above all, it requires us to refocus on our strengths building technical and social consensus on an open interoperable platform with global reach. If we step up to this challenge, we can lead the Web into the 21st century. If we fail to adapt, we risk irrelevance for ourselves and fragmentation of the Web platform.

This document enumerates some of the shortcomings in W3C’s current system, outlines the new functional management structure to address these flaws, and then goes into greater detail on the new functions, team organization, and anticipated workflows.

2. The Problem

Some of the cracks in the current system:

• Strategy and Technology Development
  • We need more attention to getting new Working Groups started in new areas, such as E-commerce, WoT Working Group, VR, privacy, security, portable web publications.
  • We have encountered major pushback from Members when we submitted proposed WG charters in specific areas.
  • With the growing complexity of Web architecture, we need to improve our Team efficiency. Workload is growing faster than we can hire to grow the staff. Rather than ask people to spend more hours, we need processes and tools to improve productivity and coordination.
  • Many specifications are getting stuck in CR, we are not moving our products (RECs) at the pace that we need to.
  • As the overall complexity of Web architecture is increasing, our ability to support the Director and a well-defined, clean, secure platform is not scaling to match.
• Stakeholder and Industry Engagement
  • It is getting harder to get participation from Members: Specifications depend on people to raise issues, edit documents, chair, test. A stronger focus is required.
  • Industry champions have not uniformly been able to achieve a high level of engagement and common vision with their industries. Across most industries there is insufficient engagement at senior levels. We have more business development opportunity than what we have achieved.
  • We need a higher level of engagement with industry groups that rely on W3C for their next generation technology.
  • We are not adequately succeeding in getting sufficient participation in Asia.
  • We are not getting the level of partnership we need with the WHATWG.
• Organizational Considerations
  • We continue to struggle with prioritization, including resource allocation, across W3C. A "Zero-based budgeting" exercise has not reached consensus even on a framework, so its impact is highly questionable.
  • Communication across individuals in the Team needs to be improved.
  • The fiscal year 2016 new member revenue attainment was the lowest since 2010, despite large opportunity in several growth areas.

To address these flaws this document describes a new structure where leadership roles are more clearly assigned to address the issues.

This is not to say that there aren't important, useful features of the previous Domain oriented organization. W3C has important, unique strengths as a standards organization. These include:

• W3C's reliance on staff with subject matter expertise.
• W3C's mission of "leading the Web to its full potential" including Web for all ("this is for everyone").
• W3C's consensus approach, based on fair dialog.
• W3C's escalation process, which evaluates the merits of different perspectives, incorporating both technical and process considerations.
• W3C's multi-stakeholder involvement, taking into account the perspectives of industry, user groups, research, government, invited experts.

So this reorganization focuses on sustaining and/or improving these features while improving the areas listed above as opportunities for improvement.

3. Functional Structure

The new structure organizes all of W3C differently – starting from the Domains. It replaces the Domain-based organization with a functional structure. The W3C Team becomes a single team working on Web technology together, rather than several stovepiped teams. The top-level organizational map identifies a lead for each functional area and re-classifies the work of technical domains among the multiple functional areas on which technical progress depends: Strategy, Project, and Architecture and Technology management, supported by focus on Industry, Global Participation, Member Satisfaction and Community management. Each area is managed by a functional lead.

Strategy Management has primary responsibility to ensure that we are working on the correct topics to lead the Web to its full potential. Project Management has primary responsibility to ensure that we deliver the specifications that are needed in a timely fashion. Architecture and Technology Management ensures that the collection of specifications works well together to provide an overall architecture for the web.

Success in identifying topics and completing topics increasingly depends on strengthening our relationships with our Members. These relationships enable us to understand Member needs and gain their full participation. Industry Management focuses on Industry needs and liaise with the standards organizations of those industries. Global Participation Management focuses on the essential task of increasing actual Member activity in our groups. Member Satisfaction Management ensures that Members are satisfied with W3C and have channels to recommend improvement. Community Management ensures that we are working with key developers both inside and outside of our Membership.

Other functions (e.g. business development) are reshaped slightly as an outcome of the new structure.

The ;Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is a long-time publicly visible brand of W3C, and will be kept as a brand and as an Initiative, led by the WAI Director. As reflected in theWAI Sponsorship description, the Initiative ensures a cohesive package of accessibility work to enable partnering of multiple stakeholder groups within the W3C structure, to address coordinated aspects of technical, educational, and standards harmonization work. However, whereas in the past the work was mostly managed by a single Domain, accessibility work is now distributed and integrated across the new functions (primarily Strategy, Project and Architecture & Technology) supported by the WAI specialists and WAI Director, in order to leverage broader commitment to accessibility throughout the organization. The WAI Director will report quarterly to W3M on the effectiveness of the distributed accessibility work in meeting accessibility goals, and as needed if specific issues arise.

With this new leadership structure the focus is on resolving the above shortcomings. Each leader has a major responsibility to improve results in their area. A mapping of shortcomings to functional areas can be found in the Amelioration section in this document.

Each function has a lead who takes overall responsibility for the area. Leads do not perform every action themselves; they lead the entire team in the performance of area activities. In many cases the lead engages exclusively in that function, but there are also functions for which the lead is part-time; spending other time working in other functions.

In many cases this organization style breaks the traditional hierarchical style of a “20th century organization” where individuals were “owned” by a particular manager because they were in a group. The functional organization, with individuals spending time working with multiple functions, is typical of emerging “21st century” collaborative models.

The structure will also help clarify to our stakeholders the various activities that contribute to success. For example, in a recent set of surveys we saw a complete disconnect between W3C Team Contacts and Group Chairs as to the priorities of the work done by Team Contacts. The former emphasized technology expertise and long-term vision whereas the latter emphasized process. This organization will more clearly surface the multi-faceted role of the Team: getting things done (project management) and leading the Web to its full potential (strategy management and architecture). Finally, the structure will help us to move again at Web-speed, to meet the platform where it will be.

It is important to note that nothing in this document changes the role of the Director or the W3C Process.

3.1 Strategy Management

The “products” of W3C are Recommendations that collectively lead the Web to its full potential. The W3C Strategy Management Lead is responsible for ensuring that we are developing the right collection of specifications to achieve W3C’s mission. Specific responsibilities include:

• Identification of new work
  • For our core existing set of specifications, identifying major new directions that require attention (e.g. web components for Web Platform, Houdini for CSS). Work with the Project Management Lead to get the necessary work in scope for existing Working Groups.
  • Identifying new core capabilities that are required for W3C (e.g. WoT). Draft charters for new Working Groups.
  • Proposing and running Workshops as necessary to ensure the right new charters are drafted.
  • Working with the Industry Lead to determine how new industry needs should show up; either as new requirements for existing groups (e.g. for CSS or HTML), or as new WGs (e.g. TV Control API).
  • Identifying work essential to sustaining "Web for all" as Web technologies evolve, and/or as W3C technology topics expand.
  • Tracking Community Groups and Business Groups to identify new areas.
  • Tracking innovative new ideas coming from the Research community or open source community.
  • Managing non-industry related Interest Groups (e.g. SWIG).
  • Maintaining Liaisons with organizations that might influence leading-edge work.
  • Leading Headlights exercise.
  • Monitoring External Contracts. Time spent by Principal Investigators to perform external contracts, and ensure success is included in this function. This includes:
    * Coordinating with Project Management to ensure that the contracts align with WG needs.
    * Ensuring excellent delivery of results by coordination with the rest of W3C (particularly project management) as necessary.
    * Ensuring excellent relationships with contracting agencies.
• Prioritization and structure of work
  • Prioritizing needs. Take the lead in “Zero-based budgeting”. Decide which groups to wind down or stop.
  • Driving technical design discussions that are necessary to clarify the scope and general direction of a Working Group.
  • Proposing modifications of the W3C Process as it relates to the agility of the technical development process.
  • Proposing restructuring of Working Groups to better meet the needs of the Web.

To provide assistance in organizing all of this work, we create the role of Strategy Specialists. The Strategy Specialists spend some of their time working with the Strategy Management Lead on a set of areas that evolve in time based on current importance. The areas we start with are: Accessibility (WAI) & Internationalization, Security and Privacy, Payments, Core (HTML, CSS, Perf, …), Media and RTC, Devices (WoT, Sensors, …), Digital Publishing, Data. The Strategy Management Leader will lead other areas until a Specialist emerges.

The Strategy Management Lead might be a Strategy Specialist for one or more areas. Most Strategy Specialists also work in other functions in the organization; in many cases, the same person might have both the role of Strategy Specialist and Technology Specialists (defined below).

3.2 Project Management

W3C succeeds only if it actually gets the work done that it is committed to deliver. The W3C Project Management Lead focuses on meeting all of the milestones of all of the groups, facilitating the work of Team Contacts, Chairs, and Editors to ensure that the work is moving forward appropriately, and driving the work necessary to achieve operational success. Specific responsibilities include:

• Ensuring timely planning to extend or revise (or expeditiously terminate) Charters as appropriate. This function has primary responsibility for extended or revised Charters, handling comments and objections, making incremental modifications, and working with Strategy management to (a) include fundamentally new requirements and (b) negotiate appropriate level of Team Contact support.
• Responsibility for operational excellence throughout the Chartered period for all Working Groups. This includes:
  • Assuring that the group is on track in terms of its deliverables
  • Assuring sufficient Chair, Editor, and Team Contact resources
  • Taking corrective action if we need better Chair, Editor, or Team Contact resources to ensure quality as well as efficiency of work
  • Working with Global Participation and Community Leads if we need better member participation in WGs
  • Driving transition calls. Keeping them on schedule. Making sure that the group is on track in terms of getting specifications written and issues closed in time for transition calls
  • Working with Members directly and with Community Lead to ensure that implementations are being developed on schedule.
  • For projects that are partially funded by external contracts, coordinates with Principal Investigator to ensure that project meets both internal milestones and external milestones.
• Driving detailed technical design discussions of the form necessary to make forward progress on the chartered work
• Managing Chair training

To provide assistance in managing and tracking all of this work, we create the role of Project Specialists. The Project Specialists spend some of their time working with the Project Management Lead on a set of groups. The exact number of groups per specialist and the number of specialist will vary in time as they provide a primary role mostly for workload balancing. The Project Management Lead will lead groups directly if there is no Specialist assigned. Project Specialists may also need to temporarily sit-in for Team Contacts if those are away.

The Project Management Lead might be a Project Specialist for one or more areas. Most Project Specialists also work in other functions in the organization.

Given the large amount of tracking required, it is anticipated that the Project Management Lead will work with Systems to develop tools to make it easy for Team Contacts to self-report and reduce the administrative load on the Project Management Lead.

To avoid conflict of interest, the Project Management Lead should not represent the Director during transition calls.

Balance between schedule and getting the spec done 'right'

Project Management drives projects to be completed on schedule. However, in reality, there are multiple causes of schedule slip and some can be resolved strictly within the project management function. Many relate to basic project management issues: getting sufficient participation from editors, resolving issues in a timely basis, getting test cases, etc. In those cases, the Team Contact works with the project specialists and the Project Management Lead to ensure that the W3C Process is adhered to, but the project tries to achieve its schedule.

In some cases, project delays result from technical, architectural disputes. There could be disputes whether a project has the correct overall technical design, has sufficient horizontal review, or has some specific technical bug. In those cases, the Team contact gets support from the relevant technical specialist(s) (described below). In difficult cases, the A&T Lead and Project Management Lead would work together to resolve the correct direction.

Or, delays could develop because of disputes about which parts of the in-scope specification are needed for this spec; and which can wait for the next version. In those cases, the Team Contact may get support from the relevant strategy specialist(s) with resolution between the Strategy Management Lead and the Project Management Lead.

3.3 Architecture and Technology Management

The Architecture and Technology Lead directly supports the Director to ensure that the complex set of technologies that W3C develops in numerous Working Groups hold together cohesively. Specific responsibilities include:

• Architecture
  • Assuring consistency of architecture across groups
  • Liaison with partner organizations to ensure the architectural coherence of the Web
  • Driving technical design discussions that are of a broad, cross-working group nature
  • Working with and supporting the TAG
  • Providing guidance on technology choices to WGs
  • Helping to resolve different points of view on technology choices (e.g. WebRTC, Manifests)
  • Coordinate standards harmonization (especially for accessibility)
  • Advising on technology profiles for specific industries
  • Developing new frameworks to think about Web technologies such as Application Foundations, Promises, and Extensible Web Technology
  • The Deputy Directors of W3C, at three Hosts, work as part of this function for the portion of their time that they are acting as Deputy Directors.
• Coordination (within W3C)
  • Handling Transition calls
  • Determining which specifications are core to the Web and must be done in W3C and which are ancillary and are better done at partner organizations
  • Coordinating Horizontal review
• Standardization Processes
  • Proposing modifications to W3C Process: especially as they relate to Technical Report development aspects of the W3C Process
  • Starting new processes, such as processes to standardize vocabularies

To provide assistance in organizing all of this work, we create the position of Technology Specialists. The Technology Specialists spend some of their time working with the Architecture and Technology Lead on a set of areas that evolve in time based on what is looking important. We start with: Accessibility (WAI) & Internationalization, Security and Privacy, Payments, Core (HTML, CSS, Perf, …), Media and RTC, Devices (WoT, Sensors, …), Digital Publishing, Data.

The Architecture and Technology Lead might be a Technology Specialist for one or more areas. Most Technology Specialists also work in other functions in the organization; in many cases, the same person might have both the role of Strategy Specialists (defined above) and Technology Specialist.

3.4 Industry Management

The Industry Lead is the primary person responsible for ensuring that W3C has excellent relationships with Industry; including having mutually reinforcing visions; and working well in their ecosystems. The Industry Lead also identifies new requirements for W3C Working Groups and works with Strategy Management to get those implemented in W3C Working Groups.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Common vision with Industry
  • Champion program. This includes driving the effort to understand the value proposition of the Industry to the Web and the value proposition of the Web (and W3C) for the Industry – for all identified industries. It includes establishing senior relationships across industries.
  • Liaisons. Makes sure that we have excellent relationships with other industry fora (e.g. GSMA, IIC, IDPF, Genivi, NAB, HbbTV, FIDO) so it is well understood where our technologies fit in and how we relate on technical collaboration, plugfests, testing, certification, etc.
  • Managing industry related IGs (e.g. Web and TV IG).
  • Identifies new requirements for industries and works with Strategy Management to define the necessary Products and get the work appropriately chartered.
  • Responsible to create Industry Relationship fora
  • Responsible for chair training for industry-related IGs and Industry Relationship fora.
• Bring industry focus into coordination with W3C
  • Leads the overall cross-W3C Liaison task force
  • Using the industry relationship to identify key Prospects for Membership. Works with Business Development to successfully bring in those companies that we need.
  • Works with Project Management and Community Management when industry participants are necessary for the success of Working Groups.

As of now, the current industries we are focused on are: Entertainment, Publishing, Telecommunications, Web of Things, Automotive, and Financial Services/Retail (with respect to payments and e-commerce).

3.5 Global Participation Management

The Global Participation Lead is responsible for ensuring excellent participation from our global community. Responsibilities include:

• Provide input from stakeholders to Strategy Management.
• Support global Members. Ensure that we are overcoming barriers of time zone, culture, and language
• Onboarding new Members
• Reflect end-user (individual) concerns and interests

3.6 Member Satisfaction Management

The Member Satisfaction Lead is responsible for ensuring excellent relationships with our Members. Responsibilities include:

• MRM program
• Identify retention risks and ensuring that we have retention plans
• Manages Offices on everything except for Member recruitment

The Community Lead is responsible for ensuring excellent relationships with and participation from our growing and diverse community. Responsibilities include:

• Cultivate strong relationships with those Members who we need the most
• Work with Project Management to ensure participation from those Members that we think are essential for the success of a Working Group
• Work with Project Management to ensure that developer stakeholders are implementing new CRs
• Developer Relations
• Partnering with the WHATWG

3.8 Business Development

The Business Development Lead is responsible for maximizing the revenue achieved by W3C. There are some activities that Business Development works on today (e.g. MRM program, retention, some work on industry relationships) that are moved out of Business Development so that Business Development focuses very narrowly and specifically on new revenue attainment. Specific responsibilities of the business development function include:

• New Member recruitment – and the relationships needed to attract those Members
• Education and training principally as a revenue opportunity (e.g. W3Cx)
• Event and other Sponsorships
• Business Groups
• Works with Offices on Member recruitment
• External Contracts. Business development works with Principal Investigators and Strategy management to identify opportunities and help obtain for research contracts

3.9 Other functions

3.9.1 Administration and Operations

The function of the Administration and Operations Lead is to coordinate with all of the Hosts on administrative functions and coordinate W3C-wide operations. Responsibilities include:

• Finance
• Billing and receivables
• Big Meetings

3.9.2 Marketing and Communications

This is unchanged from today, but will require different conversations with a different kind of a leadership team to get their requirements. Additionally, more focus is needed in several areas, especially:

• Messaging
• Support of Business Development

3.9.3 Systems

This is unchanged from today, but will require different conversations to get their requirements. Additionally, more focus is needed in several areas, especially:

• Modern Tooling
• Security
• A set of tools to facilitate the new management system: specifically for project management

3.9.4 Legal

This is unchanged from today, but will require different conversations with a different kind of leadership team.

3.10 Maintaining a strong technical focus

With a functional style leadership, how do we maintain the hallmark of W3C - the subject matter expertise?

There are several elements which should actually improve the subject matter expertise. First, there is the Architecture and Technology function. For the first time there is a top level leader (other than the Director) whose job it is to ensure that we stitch together the rapidly moving elements of Web technology into a cohesive whole.

Beyond that we have identified roughly ten specialization areas. Strategy and technology specialists play an important role to ensure that we continue the strong domain expertise. Additionally, Team Contacts will continue their role as technical participants and technical experts in their groups.

4. Amelioration

Since the new organization structure is motivated by the shortcomings in the organization referenced above, we review the problems and how the new organization addresses them:

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