Governance, in plain language.

Fracture

A gap or inconsistency between evidence, responsibility, authority or action that needs examination.

Signal

A recorded observation or concern, with a source, context and uncertainty, routed for assessment.

Spine

The connections between responsibilities, evidence, human review, decisions and correction history.

Assurance in this publication

The question of whether the basis and limits of a record can be examined. It is not an independent assurance opinion or approval.

Attribution

The link between a record and its source, actor, role, time, place or activity. Attribution alone does not verify a claim.

Evidence lineage

The history of where a record came from, how it changed and how it was reviewed.

Review

An assessment of evidence or a claim for a stated purpose against applicable criteria.

Decision authority

The mandate to make a particular decision within a defined scope. Access to information does not itself create this mandate.

Reliance

Using a record or finding for a specified purpose, subject to the receiving institution’s requirements and the stated limitations.

Readiness

The conditions for a defined next step. Readiness for discussion is not necessarily readiness for establishment or financing.

Exception

An unresolved, disputed or out-of-scope matter that must remain visible with its owner and response route.

Controlled sharing

Sharing a defined version with identified recipients and stated purpose and use limits.

MRV

Measurement, reporting and verification. The relevant method, responsible parties and limitations must be established for the specific claim.

AI assistance

Support for tasks such as extraction or summarisation. It does not replace accountable human assessment or decision authority.

Fracture → Signal → Spine → Assurance