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Framework · The public foundation

A claim becomes
a consequence.

Follow one claim through four decisions, three control planes and three continuing loops.

00 / The moment of consequence

Between an answer
and an action.

The moment of consequenceA specific claim version reaches a gate. Knowledge and Authority converge on the same gate. One conditional route leads to an effect; another holds the proposed use for review. Assurance probes Knowledge, Authority and the gate and sends findings to the correction owner. No assurance connection enters the action route.What is claimedWhat is decidedWhat happensv3Claim · a specific versionFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementGateIf enabled for this useC2Effect within scopeKnowledgeEvidence · standingAuthorityMandate · limitsUse heldProposal for reviewAssurance · independent checksOwner · correction
The moment of consequenceVertical composition. A held proposal returns for review. Knowledge and Authority enter the same central gate. Three assurance probes are separate from the conditional action route and return findings to the correction owner.What is claimedv3Claim · a specific versionWhat is decidedFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementGateKnowledgeAuthorityUse heldReviewIf enabledfor this useWhat happensC2Effect within scopeAssuranceChecks planes and gateOwner · correction
The moment of consequence. Knowledge and authority meet at use time. A held use leaves the stored claim version intact.Four independent decisions: standing · persistence · visibility · action enablement.
01 / Four dimensions

One claim,
four decisions.

Standing, retention, access and action each require their own decision.

v3

One claim version
Four separate decisions

01 / Standing

Warranted for
this use?

Purpose and consequence determine the required support.

02 / Persistence

Kept ≠ eligible

Illustrative snapshot · one defined use
VersionKeptEligible
v1●No
v2●No
v3●Yes*

*Within its current scope and validity. History has its own retention rule.

03 / Visibility

Who may retrieve
which form?

Access includes the representation and its supporting context.

04 / Action enablement

Who may act,
within which boundary?

A valid mandate and current conditions govern the effect.

Seeing is not believing. Remembering is not accepting. Accepting is not authorizing action.
Use the Four Questions worksheet
02 / Three control planes

Three planes.
One moment of use.

Three planes, one momentKnowledge and Authority retain separate write authority and meet at use time. Crossed arrows forbid evidence from writing authority and a grant from manufacturing standing. Independent Assurance checks both planes and the gate, routing findings to the correction owner, never to the action path.KnowledgeClaims · evidence · versions · standing · correctionAuthorityMandates · budgets · permissions · revocationFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementGateUse timeActionSeparate write authorityNeither rewrites the otherAssurance · tests both planes and the gateOwner · correction
Three planes, one momentDedicated phone composition: Knowledge and Authority converge at one gate; crossed arrows preserve write boundaries. Assurance checks are separate from the outgoing action route.KnowledgeClaims · evidence · standingAuthorityMandates · budgets · revocationFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementGateUsetimeActionAssuranceTests planes and gateOwner · correction
No single platform needs to own all three planes.

Evidence may not write authority.

A grant may not manufacture standing.

Policy may make action conditional on the claim’s current standing. Each plane retains its own write authority.

A failed condition and a revoked mandate

A failed condition requires a fresh evaluation. A revoked grant requires a new act by the authority entitled to issue it.

03 / Three coupled loops

Work. Challenge.
Learn.

Three loops, coupledA production loop creates work and decisions. An assurance loop challenges and tests the claim and gate. A verified correction passes through explicit authorized promotion before learning changes the next relevant case. Loops are coupled processes, distinct from the control planes.ProductionWork · recommendations · decisions · revisionsv3Four independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementGateC2NextcaseAssuranceChallenge · evaluate · detectVerified correctionAuthorized ownerpromotes the changeLearningChanged retrieval · evaluation · policy · memory · action
Three loops, coupledProduction and assurance loops are stacked. Verified correction reaches an authorized promotion step. Learning then changes the next relevant case, rather than automatically promoting the source claim.Productionv3Four independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementFour independent decisions: standing, persistence, visibility, action enablementGateC2AssuranceChallenge · evaluate · detectVerified correctionAuthorized ownerpromotes the changeLearningNext relevant caseruns differently
Loops describe continuing processes. Planes describe control responsibilities; there is no one-to-one mapping.

If a verified correction does not alter the next relevant case, the enterprise observed an error but did not learn.

04 / An illustrative case · Chapter 9

Kept in history.
Held from a new use.

New customer accounts require review of an earlier liquidity assessment. Its earlier version remains available to explain the past decision.

The earlier version v3 is retained in a history tray, while draft v4 awaits review.
v3: kept, not eligible for the affected new use. Draft v4 requires review. No action executed.
Inspect the four moments
05 / The ten principles

The principles
behind the model.

  1. Draft by default
  2. Make promotion explicit
  3. Let evidence travel
  4. Treat provenance as necessary but insufficient
  5. Keep the four dimensions separate
  6. Scale scrutiny with consequence and persistence
  7. Preserve independent judgment when warranted
  8. Make challenge and removal first-class
  9. Require assurance to change the system
  10. Own the institutional learning loop

Ottaviano De Cicco · AI-nterprise: Governing What the Organization Knows · v1.0 · 3 September 2026.

Use and attribution

The articles interpret the framework; they do not claim that the complete architecture has been validated in enterprise field operation. Platform work is not evidence of improved outcomes.

White paper: CC BY 4.0 ↗. The worksheet has its own CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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