Foundational distinction
Most systems can describe a decision after the event. VES concerns whether the material evidence, authority and governing conditions relevant to that decision were preserved in a form that can be checked later.
A recorded action is not necessarily an explainable decision.
- Decision-State
- The material evidence, authority, governing conditions, system contribution and judgement relevant to a consequential decision at the time the organisation committed to it. Permanent link
- Execution Boundary
- The point at which a recommendation, analysis or workflow result becomes a consequential organisational commitment. Permanent link
- Point-in-Time Evidence
- Evidence captured at, or demonstrably applicable to, the execution boundary, before later change, hindsight or reconstruction alters the available picture. Permanent link
- Decision Envelope
- A versioned, structured record that links a consequential decision to its relevant evidence objects, governing conditions, authority, system contribution, human judgement, commitment and verification information. Permanent link
- Evidence Object
- A source artefact or reference—such as a document, runtime receipt, authority record, model output, system event, external data source or human review—described with provenance, integrity and decision relevance. Permanent link
- Evidentiary Continuity
- The ability for decision-relevant evidence to remain intelligible and reviewable when responsibility, systems, people or organisations change. Permanent link
- Reconstruction Burden
- The operational work required to reassemble why a consequential decision was made after its original decision-state has become fragmented, changed or unavailable. Permanent link
- Reconstruction Gap
- The difference between the decision-state available at the time and what can later be assembled from surviving systems, documents and recollection. Permanent link
- Independent Verification
- The ability for a reviewer to assess the declared structure, integrity, provenance and stated limitations of a VES Decision Envelope without relying solely on the originating user interface or an untested assertion. Permanent link
- Decision-Evidence Maturity
- A capability continuum from L1 Narrative, through L2 Documentary and L3 Traceable, to L4 Preserved Decision-State. Permanent link
Decision-Evidence Maturity levels
- L1 Narrative: The decision is described after the fact.
- L2 Documentary: Documents and artefacts are retained, but association or timing may be weak.
- L3 Traceable: Source evidence, versions and attributable decision history are linked.
- L4 Preserved Decision-State: A time-bound envelope preserves authority, conditions, human and system contribution, integrity data and a replay path.
For normative data fields and verification semantics, see the VES 1.2 Draft specification.