Execution Attribution Collapse

Context Classification

Layer: Core Authority Failure
Structural pattern: Authority reconstruction failure at T=0
Primary condition: A consequential action can bind while authority cannot be reconstructed
Institutional behaviour: Process remains visible; legitimacy is not provable
Reference code: AA-18

Pattern summary

Execution Attribution Collapse is a failure mode in which a consequential action can be technically executed and procedurally logged, but the institution cannot reconstruct a defensible chain from authorised judgment to consequence-binding execution at T=0.

What this looks like

The organisation can show that a workflow ran.
The organisation can show that a human approved something.
The organisation can show that systems had permission.
The organisation cannot prove that legitimate authority remained attached to the specific action that bound consequence at T=0.

Why this matters

Logs, minutes, explainability, and approvals may demonstrate process. They may not demonstrate admissibility.

Execution Attribution Collapse is not the absence of traceability. It is the absence of reconstructable authority at the point consequence binds.

Related Arqua terms

Execution Admissibility Architecture (EAA)
Architecture of Record (AoR)
SCIA Runtime
T=0
Authority Drift
Evidence at execution
Execution Passport (pattern)

Boundary note

This page describes an architectural pattern. It does not assert legal advice, regulatory assurance, compliance certification, audit opinion, system implementation, operational control, platform selection, or professional advice. Arqua operates at the architecture and governance layer. Runtime behaviour, system execution, regulatory compliance, operational risk, and implementation decisions remain the responsibility of the deploying organisation and its chosen delivery partners.