Open standards & artifacts for accountable systems.

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Decision Artifact

Glossary entry in Decision states & edges. Definitions, checks, and evidence for Decision Artifact.

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Quick takeaways

A discrete, attributable, contestable output: outcome + reason + timestamp + accountable owner.

Definition

A discrete, attributable, contestable output: outcome + reason + timestamp + accountable owner.

Decision artifacts anchor traceable ownership and make contestability measurable.

Minimum evidence

  • User-facing artifact.
  • Internal log.
  • Drill / rehearsal.
Temporal
Scope
J. Decision states & edges. Where and how decisions flip from reversible to permanent.
Genealogy
Ethotechnics uses Decision Artifact to extend the j. decision states & edges vocabulary and connect governance, design, and policy teams.

Related concepts

Also tagged: Temporal

Fail-Safe Mode Fail-Open Mode Fail-Silent Mode Crumple Zone / Human-as-Crumple-Zone Harm Visibility Dead Zones / Moral Dead Zones

Copy citation (APA/BibTeX)

Cite this glossary entry Formats: APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS

Version

v1.1.0

Last updated

Jan 9, 2026

DOI

Pending Zenodo deposit

APA

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. (2026). Decision Artifact. Ethotechnics glossary. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/decision-artifact

MLA

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "Decision Artifact." Ethotechnics glossary, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/decision-artifact.

Chicago

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "Decision Artifact." Ethotechnics glossary. Jan 9, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/decision-artifact.

BibTeX

@misc{glossary_decision-artifact,
  title={Decision Artifact},
  author={Ethotechnics Institute Research Team},
  year={2026},
  howpublished={Ethotechnics glossary},
  url={https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/decision-artifact},
  version={v1.1.0}
}

RIS

TY  - WEB
TI  - Decision Artifact
AU  - Ethotechnics Institute Research Team
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/decision-artifact
ER  -

Scholarly metadata

Authorship

Contact: research@ethotechnics.org

Publication details

  • Published: Dec 3, 2025
  • Last updated: Jan 9, 2026
  • Version: v1.1.0
  • DOI: Pending Zenodo deposit

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Credit Ethotechnics Institute, include the term title + version, and link to the glossary permalink.

Archive snapshot: Wayback capture

Changelog

  • v1.1.0 · 2026-01-09 — Expanded scholarly metadata, operational tests, and provenance notes.
  • v1.0.0 · 2025-12-03 — Initial glossary release with stable permalinks.