Programs & Groups
IAB Technical Programs & Administrative Support Groups are structured approaches managed & maintained by the IAB in order to support the IAB in more effectively executing its chartered responsibilities & its architectural oversight role (see RFC2850 ยง2.1)
A current list of active Technical Programs and Administrative Support Groups can be found in the Datatracker.
Administrative Support Groups help the IAB to address their oversight or administrative responsibilities, often by delegating these responsibilities to a specific set of experts holding a specific role. The goal is to have a stable set of experts that continuously support the IAB with their work (e.g., having frequent meetings). Administrative programs are usually set up as a permanent support activity for the IAB.
Technical programs are usually created based on a then-current technical/architectural concern. Technical programs also tend to meet at IETF meetings (or hold interim meetings) but meetings are more need-based and potentially less or more frequent depending on the topic. The main goal of technical programs is to raise awareness and discussion of the specific concerns in the community. This may be done by holding workshops, supporting the IAB in writing documents, or also just group discussion that then may respectively impact what the program members do within the community. Technical programs are expected to be closed down when the identified concern is addressed or when sufficient awareness has been built in the broader community.
The separation of Technical Programs and Administrative Support Groups enables Technical Programs to be more open with broader participation and as such also increases the legitimacy of any results produced, while Administrative Support Groups provide dedicated expertise and continuity to the IAB in selected administrative tasks that e.g. might also require a certain level of confidentiality.
Some history of IAB programs can be found here.