Architecture / Governance
A recommendation
cannot authorize itself.
ETRAL’s architecture treats governance as part of intelligence. It distinguishes what the evidence supports, what the business permits and what has actually happened.
The Decision Kernel forms a considered proposal. Authority is a separate control. Execution and observed outcomes remain downstream responsibilities.
01 / Formation
From evidence to a decision.
Evidence is collected and qualified before it supports reasoning. Context connects the relevant business realities. Policy contributes priorities and constraints. The resulting decision is a proposal with an explainable basis, not permission to execute.
02 / Permission
Authority has a scope.
Authority defines the permitted action and its boundaries. Approval is required where the relevant policy and authority require it; it is not a universal manual step. A valid grant does not remove the need to check applicable conditions before action.
03 / A deliberate hold
Outside scope means held.
The website’s architectural illustration shows a recommendation outside its granted authority. It remains held for Owner approval. No action is executed from that proposal. This example demonstrates the boundary; it does not mean that every ETRAL decision would require Owner approval.
04 / Observation
Permission is not proof of completion.
An authorized action may be attempted. Its reported result still needs observation and evaluation. A successful request does not guarantee the intended business outcome. Qualified outcomes may inform memory and subsequent evaluation through the applicable governance process.
Keep the distinctions visible.
- Decision
- A proposed direction supported by evidence and reasoning.
- Authority
- The valid scope within which action may be permitted.
- Approval
- An explicit approval where the applicable process requires it.
- Action
- A permitted operation, subject to current conditions.
- Result
- A reported or observed response to an action.
- Outcome
- An evaluated observation of what actually followed.
One lifecycle.
Distinct responsibilities.
Evidence → Trust → Context → Policy → Decision → Authority → Action → Result → Outcome → Memory. Reasoning supports evaluation and decision formation. Learning depends on appropriately qualified observations.