{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.failure-act","code":"thing-failure-act","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/failure-act/","name":"failure","alternateNames":["disappointment","dashing hopes","breach","copout","breach of contract","anticipatory breach","constructive breach","breach of duty","breach of the covenant of warranty","breach of promise","breach of trust","breach of warranty"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Activities and processes","entryKind":"noun.act","plane":"ACT","domain":["ACT.ACT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{"substance":"activity","origin":"conceptual","agency":"inert","mobility":"not-applicable","scale":"not-applicable","affordances":["observable"]}},"whatItIs":"Failure, in the sense of an unexpected omission, is the nonoccurrence of an action or contribution that was expected in a particular situation.","purpose":"Enable an agent to recognise failure as an unexpected omission, assess the unmet expectation and resulting state, and choose a justified response.","scope":{"in":["The expected act or contribution and the evidence that it was omitted","Whose expectation makes the omission unexpected and what supports that expectation","The time window, trigger and opportunity within which the act should have occurred","Complete and partial omissions, including disputed or provisionally detected cases","Consequences attributable to the omission and available recovery actions"],"out":["Unsuccessful acts performed without an omitted component","Incorrect acts whose defining feature is commission rather than omission","Device faults or breakdowns except where they explain an omitted act","General theories of success, achievement or goal satisfaction","Moral blame, legal liability or personal worth inferred from a failure","Deliberate cancellations that validly removed the expectation before the act was due"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["An instance requires a specifiable missing act or contribution; a disappointing result alone does not establish failure in this registry sense.","An omission requires an applicable occasion for action; an act that was never triggered or due is not automatically missing.","Unexpectedness must be assessed relative to an identified observer or expectation, because the same omission may surprise one party and be anticipated by another.","An unobserved act remains distinct from an omitted act until the available evidence supports nonperformance.","A missed deadline can establish an omission within that window even if the act is later completed; completion updates recovery without erasing the earlier instance."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"expected-act-and-surprise","name":"Expected act and surprise","description":"Establishes what was expected and in whose perspective its absence was unexpected.","layers":[{"id":"applicable-expectation","name":"Applicable expectation","description":"Identifies the expected act and the basis on which it was expected for this occasion.","findings":[{"id":"expected-contribution","name":"Expected contribution","description":"Record a candidate missing contribution precisely enough to test whether it was required or anticipated, including any conditions that made the expectation applicable.","questions":[{"text":"What specific act or contribution was expected, and what would have counted as performing it?","id":"expected-contribution-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which commitment, rule, prior practice or prediction supports that expectation on this occasion?","id":"expected-contribution-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Had the expectation expired, been withdrawn or been superseded before the act became due?","id":"expected-contribution-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"perspective-on-unexpectedness","name":"Perspective on unexpectedness","description":"Separates whether an act was expected from whether its omission was surprising to a particular party.","findings":[{"id":"attributed-surprise","name":"Attributed surprise","description":"Record unexpectedness against an identified perspective and the information available before the omission was discovered; retain disagreements between perspectives.","questions":[{"text":"To whom was the omission unexpected, and what did that party expect before discovering it?","id":"attributed-surprise-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What contemporaneous evidence supports the expectation rather than a retrospective claim that the act should have happened?","id":"attributed-surprise-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"If the actor anticipated or intended the omission but another party did not, does the instance satisfy this registry sense?","id":"attributed-surprise-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"omission-and-occurrence-evidence","name":"Omission and occurrence evidence","description":"Determines whether the expected act was absent, partly absent or merely unobserved.","layers":[{"id":"due-occasion","name":"Due occasion","description":"Locates the trigger and interval within which performance was expected.","findings":[{"id":"closed-or-missed-opportunity","name":"Closed or missed opportunity","description":"Record when the act became applicable and the point at which its continued absence could count as an omission.","questions":[{"text":"Which event or condition triggered the expected act, and is there evidence that it occurred?","id":"closed-or-missed-opportunity-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What deadline, tolerance interval or closing opportunity determines when the act counts as omitted?","id":"closed-or-missed-opportunity-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Is the act already missing from a completed opportunity, or could it still occur within the original expectation?","id":"closed-or-missed-opportunity-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"evidence-of-nonperformance","name":"Evidence of nonperformance","description":"Assesses occurrence evidence and identifies the exact extent of the missing act.","findings":[{"id":"supported-absence","name":"Supported absence","description":"Record what was checked, what those checks could detect and whether they support total omission, a missing component or unresolved occurrence.","questions":[{"text":"What observation, record or testimony supports nonperformance, and could that evidence miss an act that actually occurred?","id":"supported-absence-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Was the whole act omitted, or which required component was missing from an act otherwise performed?","id":"supported-absence-q02","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What additional check would distinguish omission from delayed reporting, poor visibility or an incorrect act?","id":"supported-absence-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"explanation-and-effects","name":"Explanation and effects","description":"Connects the omitted act to enabling conditions, possible causes and affected outcomes without assuming blame.","layers":[{"id":"conditions-for-performance","name":"Conditions for performance","description":"Examines assignment, capability and prerequisites relevant to the missing act.","findings":[{"id":"performance-gap","name":"Performance gap","description":"Record who or what was expected to act and which prerequisites were available, missing or uncertain; keep causal explanations provisional where evidence is incomplete.","questions":[{"text":"Who or what was expected to perform the act, and what establishes that assignment?","id":"performance-gap-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which necessary information, resources, permissions or upstream contributions were unavailable when performance was due?","id":"performance-gap-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What evidence distinguishes inability, overlooked work, intentional nonperformance and a mistaken expectation?","id":"performance-gap-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"omission-consequences","name":"Omission consequences","description":"Identifies changes associated with the missing act and dependencies that remain exposed.","findings":[{"id":"affected-dependencies","name":"Affected dependencies","description":"Record observed and anticipated effects separately, including whether a substitute or safeguard prevented the omission from causing an adverse outcome.","questions":[{"text":"Which subsequent acts or outcomes depended on the omitted contribution?","id":"affected-dependencies-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What observable delay, loss or other change is attributable to the omission, and how is it measured?","id":"affected-dependencies-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Did another contribution or safeguard preserve the outcome despite the omission?","id":"affected-dependencies-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"recovery-and-reassessment","name":"Recovery and reassessment","description":"Supports recovery from the omission and revision of the failure assessment as evidence changes.","layers":[{"id":"remaining-action-window","name":"Remaining action window","description":"Determines whether the missing contribution can still be supplied or its effects reduced.","findings":[{"id":"recoverable-contribution","name":"Recoverable contribution","description":"Record the remaining value of performing the omitted act, available substitutes and any constraints on intervention.","questions":[{"text":"Can the omitted act still fulfil its intended role, and when does that recovery opportunity close?","id":"recoverable-contribution-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Should an authorised actor complete the act, provide a substitute, escalate the omission or accept the missed opportunity?","id":"recoverable-contribution-q02","kind":"action"},{"text":"What check is needed before retrying to avoid duplicating an act whose occurrence is still uncertain?","id":"recoverable-contribution-q03","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"closure-and-correction","name":"Closure and correction","description":"Distinguishes recovery of a real omission from correction of an erroneous failure classification.","findings":[{"id":"verified-resolution","name":"Verified resolution","description":"Record evidence for closure and whether it establishes late completion, compensated consequences, an irrecoverable omission or a mistaken original assessment.","questions":[{"text":"What evidence demonstrates recovery, compensation or the end of any useful recovery opportunity?","id":"verified-resolution-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Does new evidence show that the act was omitted and later supplied, or that no qualifying omission occurred?","id":"verified-resolution-q02","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Which expectation, assignment or detection practice should change to reduce recurrence or false classification?","id":"verified-resolution-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-confidence-notes","name":"Check these first","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these check these first hold for the sense of failure this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-confidence-notes-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of failure this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of failure this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of failure this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of failure this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of failure this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Record what was expected, what did not happen and what is known about why.","Report an omission to the people who depend on it, promptly and plainly."],"mustNot":["Hide or quietly work around an omission that others are relying on.","Blame an individual for an omission caused by the system or workload.","Record an omission in a personnel file without giving the person a chance to respond.","Continue a safety-critical task after a required step was missed."],"requiresHuman":["Attributing an omission to a named person.","Deciding whether work continues after a missed step."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Blame cultures hide omissions and make the next failure more likely.","Missed steps in care, maintenance and safety work injure people."],"affectedParties":["People relying on the omitted action","The person held responsible","Colleagues and users"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the concept; the person or organization that owed the action answers for it.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"oewn-00075444-n","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.failure-act","Open English WordNet: oewn-00067217-n"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["Expected act: Reference to the act, contribution or required component expected on a particular occasion","Expectation basis: Explicit commitment, procedural requirement, dependency, established practice, prediction, other specified basis, unresolved","Expectation holder: Person, group or system holding the expectation, with its perspective and time of assessment","Occurrence assessment: Not yet due, occurrence unknown, omission suspected, omission supported, occurrence confirmed, expectation withdrawn","Omission extent: Whole act omitted, required component omitted, extent unresolved","Elapsed time after due point: Seconds, minutes, hours or days relative to a specified deadline; not applicable where no deadline exists","Unexpectedness assessment: Unexpected to specified holder, anticipated by specified holder, disputed, unknown","Recovery state: Unassessed, still recoverable, recovery underway, recovered, partly recovered, opportunity irretrievably missed"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Compare expected acts with occurrence evidence to identify candidate omissions.","Ask the expectation holder or responsible actor to resolve an ambiguous missing act.","Distinguish a confirmed omission from delayed reporting, an unmet trigger or a withdrawn expectation.","Identify affected dependencies and the remaining opportunity for recovery.","Propose completion, substitution, escalation or acceptance of the missed opportunity according to authority and context.","Update the expectation or detection rule when investigation shows that the original classification was mistaken."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Unreported omissions compound into larger failures.","Missed maintenance or care steps cause injury."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["This sense of failure is used when an expected action or contribution does not occur in a workflow, agreement or social interaction.","It supports reviewing unmet expectations, identifying resulting gaps and deciding whether follow-up or reassignment is justified."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Open English WordNet 2024, synset oewn-00067217-n","url":"https://en-word.net/id/oewn-00067217-n","note":"sense and gloss of the concept"},{"title":"Wiktionary: failure","url":"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/failure","note":"word senses and usage"}],"openQuestions":["Does the registry intend unexpectedness to mean subjective surprise, deviation from an established expectation or both?","Which expectation holders determine inclusion when an omission is anticipated by one party and unexpected to another?","Can an omission qualify when the expected actor had no feasible opportunity to perform, or should that case primarily revise the expectation?","Where should the boundary fall between partial omission and incorrect performance when an act contains many required components?","How should omission be established for continuing duties that have no explicit deadline or discrete closing opportunity?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-failure-act/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-failure-act/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T09:37:17Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"not-applicable","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"not-applicable","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T12:16:27+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: WordNet gloss; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane ACT: no invented physical properties.","interaction.interfaces":"No specific standard, law or official classification applies universally to an unexpected omission without a defined activity or obligation.","interaction.recognition":"An unexpected omission is established by comparing expectations with evidence of what occurred rather than by distinctive visual features."},"score":1.0}}