Evidence library
Delegated authority: authority at execution
The relevant authority is the mandate and limits in force when the organisation committed—not necessarily the role or policy visible today.
Definition
The precise question
Authority at execution is the declared role, mandate, limit and approval state applicable at the decision boundary.
Reference model
From category to independent review
Decision assurance
Decision evidence
VES decision envelope
Evidence objects
Independent review
The envelope can link model output, runtime records, policy versions, authority records, claims documents, human rationale, external data and approvals while preserving each source's declared limits.
Insurance example
What this looks like in practice
A referral preserves the binder version and limit that permitted the underwriter to bind the risk, alongside the escalation and approval.
Evidence map
What a reviewer needs to see
- Binder, schedule or mandate version
- Applicable limit, condition and escalation path
- Approval, override, commitment and limitations
Why current roles are not enough
Teams change and authority schedules are amended. A later directory entry cannot substitute for a point-in-time record of what governed the commitment.
A reviewer should be able to ask
- Who could approve or override?
- What limit and conditions applied?
- Was escalation required?
- What evidence connected authority to commitment?
The VES connection
A published evidence structure
VES 1.2 treats business authority as a distinct component of a Decision Envelope and may link authority records as Evidence Objects.
Read VES 1.2 for the published Decision Envelope, Evidence Object and verification model.
Boundary
A declared authority record does not settle every legal or contractual question. It makes the asserted basis and gaps reviewable.
Frequently asked
What does delegated authority: authority at execution address?
Authority at execution is the declared role, mandate, limit and approval state applicable at the decision boundary.
Does this establish that a decision was correct or compliant?
A declared authority record does not settle every legal or contractual question. It makes the asserted basis and gaps reviewable.