Authority Lineage

Authority is not assumed at execution.

It must be constructed, traceable, and resolvable at the point where institutional consequence binds.

Authority Lineage defines how execution authority is derived, delegated, and validated across the enterprise.

Definition

Authority Lineage is the structural chain through which execution authority is established, inherited, and resolved at runtime.

It ensures that every action that binds institutional consequence can be traced back to a legitimate source of authority.

The Problem

Most enterprise systems assume authority implicitly.

Authority is often:

• embedded in roles
• inferred from system access
• distributed across workflows
• disconnected from execution

As automation scales, this creates ambiguity:

• who is allowed to act
• under what conditions
• on whose authority

This ambiguity becomes visible at execution.

Authority Structure

Authority lineage is composed of:

• Source Authority

(legal mandate, regulatory authority, institutional charter)

• Delegated Authority

(roles, systems, agents, workflows)

• Contextual Authority

(conditions under which authority applies)

• Execution Authority

(resolved authority at the point of commit)

Authority is not static.

It is resolved dynamically at execution.

Authority Resolution in SCIA

SCIA resolves authority as part of admissibility evaluation.

At the commit boundary, SCIA determines:

• whether authority exists
• whether it is valid in the current context
• whether it applies to the proposed action

Authority is one dimension of the admissibility vector:

Authority + State + Constraints + Context

Execution is permitted only when authority is valid and resolved.

Authority and Architecture of Record

The Architecture of Record identifies:

• where institutional consequence binds
• which systems can execute
• where authority must be enforced

Authority Lineage connects those execution surfaces to:

• the source of authority
• the delegation chain
• the conditions under which authority is valid

Without Authority Lineage, execution surfaces operate without explicit authority.

Failure Without Authority Lineage

Without explicit authority lineage:

• authority is assumed rather than verified
• delegation chains are unclear
• escalation becomes a substitute for missing authority
• automated execution can occur without legitimate mandate

This creates institutional risk at execution.

Invariant

No action may bind institutional consequence unless authority can be resolved through a valid lineage at the point of execution.

Authority as Admissibility Dimension

Authority is not evaluated in isolation.

It is evaluated together with:

• state
• constraints
• context

SCIA ensures that authority is:

• explicit
• contextual
• enforceable
• traceable

Closing statement

Authority does not reside in systems.

It is constructed through lineage and resolved at execution.

SCIA enforces that resolution.

Explore the Architecture

• Category Overview
• Overview of Execution Admissibility Architecture.
• Execution-Bound Enterprise
• Operating model for governed execution.
• SCIA Reference Architecture
• Control architecture enforcing admissibility at runtime.
• Admissibility Vector
• Runtime evaluation dimensions at commit.
• Pre-Execution Pressure Test
• Diagnostic that surfaces execution risk before consequence binds.

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