Published

Initiative

vr.wm-act-030 · wm-act-030-initiative

Represent a governed course of coordinated change or exploration that can exist before, outside or across formal projects, programs, campaigns and operations while preserving the identity of every linked master.

World Models Activities and processes ACT.INI

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Classifiers What it is Why it exists Distinguishing features What robots and AI may and may not do Moral aspects Owners Links to other meta-models Identity and identifiers Direct properties Recognition Capabilities and actions Hazards and failure modes Standards and interfaces Context of use Sources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

6 bundles · 12 layers · 24 findings · 72 questions

Identity, definition, intent and mandate Defines the initiative root, its weakly standardized class and the authority to explore or coordinate change.

Initiative definition, identity and lineage

Pins the initiative class, source profile, stable identity and revision chain.

Initiative definition, profile, classification and neighbor boundary

Source-qualified initiative type, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sector profile and distinctions from objective, course of action, activity, project, program, campaign and operation.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define initiative definition, profile, classification and neighbor boundary? classification
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support initiative definition, profile, classification and neighbor boundary? provenance
How is initiative definition, profile, classification and neighbor boundary validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Initiative identifier, name, alias, version, source, predecessor and successor

Authoritative identifier, governed names and aliases, profile and schema versions, source system, predecessor, successor, duplicate and split or merge assertions.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define initiative identifier, name, alias, version, source, predecessor and successor? identity
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support initiative identifier, name, alias, version, source, predecessor and successor? provenance
How is initiative identifier, name, alias, version, source, predecessor and successor validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Originating need, mandate, sponsorship and scope

Records why the initiative exists, who may sponsor it and the boundary of authorized exploration.

Problem, opportunity, driver, assessment, evidence and case for change

Observed or asserted problem or opportunity, originating driver, baseline evidence, urgency, affected context, assessment and falsifiable case for change.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define problem, opportunity, driver, assessment, evidence and case for change? evidence
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support problem, opportunity, driver, assessment, evidence and case for change? provenance
How is problem, opportunity, driver, assessment, evidence and case for change validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Mandate, sponsor, owner, authority, scope, guardrail and jurisdiction

Mandate source, accountable sponsor and steward, delegated exploratory authority, intended and excluded scope, guardrails, jurisdiction and effective interval.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define mandate, sponsor, owner, authority, scope, guardrail and jurisdiction? authority
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support mandate, sponsor, owner, authority, scope, guardrail and jurisdiction? provenance
How is mandate, sponsor, owner, authority, scope, guardrail and jurisdiction validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Strategy, options, hypotheses and stakeholders Connects intent to strategy, alternatives, affected parties and testable value claims.

Strategy, objectives, options and assumptions

Represents the logic and alternatives considered before or during formalization.

Strategy, policy, goal, objective, alignment, contribution and priority

External strategy, policy, goal and objective references, alignment or contribution hypothesis, priority, conflict and trade-off.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define strategy, policy, goal, objective, alignment, contribution and priority? requirement
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support strategy, policy, goal, objective, alignment, contribution and priority? provenance
How is strategy, policy, goal, objective, alignment, contribution and priority validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Option, scenario, course of action, hypothesis, assumption, constraint and appraisal

Option set, no-change comparator, course-of-action reference, hypothesis, assumptions, constraints, appraisal criteria, uncertainty and selection state.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define option, scenario, course of action, hypothesis, assumption, constraint and appraisal? decision
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support option, scenario, course of action, hypothesis, assumption, constraint and appraisal? provenance
How is option, scenario, course of action, hypothesis, assumption, constraint and appraisal validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Stakeholders, value and results intent

Defines who is affected and what change is intended without claiming realization.

Stakeholder, beneficiary, affected party, need, influence, concern and engagement

External actor or group reference, role, need, influence, concern, expected effect, engagement intent, consent or other authority and safeguard.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define stakeholder, beneficiary, affected party, need, influence, concern and engagement? ownership
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support stakeholder, beneficiary, affected party, need, influence, concern and engagement? provenance
How is stakeholder, beneficiary, affected party, need, influence, concern and engagement validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Output, capability, outcome, benefit, disbenefit, impact, value and causal link

Typed intended-result nodes and causal links, value recipient, positive or negative direction, assumptions, dependencies, evidence and attribution limit.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define output, capability, outcome, benefit, disbenefit, impact, value and causal link? relationship
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support output, capability, outcome, benefit, disbenefit, impact, value and causal link? provenance
How is output, capability, outcome, benefit, disbenefit, impact, value and causal link validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Composition, roadmap, experiments and coordination Groups initiative-scoped work while preserving every external work object's master identity.

Linked work, membership and dependency

Records work relationships and interfaces without silently creating a formal project.

Work object identity, type, membership, basis, role, status and validity

External work object ID and type, membership or association, inclusion basis, initiative role, source state, effective interval, owner and source authority.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define work object identity, type, membership, basis, role, status and validity? composition
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support work object identity, type, membership, basis, role, status and validity? provenance
How is work object identity, type, membership, basis, role, status and validity validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Dependency, interface, sequence, shared change, conflict and external relation

Typed dependencies, interfaces, sequence, shared capabilities or change, conflicts, assumptions, external relationships and coordination owner.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define dependency, interface, sequence, shared change, conflict and external relation? relationship
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support dependency, interface, sequence, shared change, conflict and external relation? provenance
How is dependency, interface, sequence, shared change, conflict and external relation validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Roadmap, gates, options, tests and learning

Plans progressive evidence acquisition and controlled transition decisions.

Roadmap, stage, workstream, milestone, decision gate, window and review point

Versioned high-level roadmap, stage, workstream, milestone, dependency, planned and actual window, gate criteria and review cadence.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define roadmap, stage, workstream, milestone, decision gate, window and review point? temporal
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support roadmap, stage, workstream, milestone, decision gate, window and review point? provenance
How is roadmap, stage, workstream, milestone, decision gate, window and review point validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Experiment, prototype, pilot, option test, learning question, evidence and pivot

Test identity and method, hypothesis, variant, population or context, evidence threshold, observation, learning result, decision and pivot or stop consequence.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define experiment, prototype, pilot, option test, learning question, evidence and pivot? decision
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support experiment, prototype, pilot, option test, learning question, evidence and pivot? provenance
How is experiment, prototype, pilot, option test, learning question, evidence and pivot validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Governance, resources, risks and controls Makes decision authority and bounded commitments explicit during uncertain change.

Roles, decisions, resources and funding

Defines accountability and references the capacity made available to the initiative.

Role assignment, responsibility, delegation, decision right and segregation

External actor, initiative role, accountable, responsible, consulted or informed assignment, delegated authority, reserved decision and segregation rule.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define role assignment, responsibility, delegation, decision right and segregation? authority
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support role assignment, responsibility, delegation, decision right and segregation? provenance
How is role assignment, responsibility, delegation, decision right and segregation validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Resource, capability, capacity, budget, funding, cost, commitment and envelope reference

External resource, capability, budget, fund, contract and commitment references, approved envelope, demand, allocation, forecast, actual, currency and valuation basis.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define resource, capability, capacity, budget, funding, cost, commitment and envelope reference? measurement
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support resource, capability, capacity, budget, funding, cost, commitment and envelope reference? provenance
How is resource, capability, capacity, budget, funding, cost, commitment and envelope reference validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Risk, requirement, compliance and change control

Records uncertainties and controls proportionate to the initiative's profile and authority.

Risk, opportunity, issue, dependency, likelihood, impact, response and residual state

External risk or issue reference, cause, consequence, likelihood, impact, owner, response, residual exposure, trigger and escalation.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define risk, opportunity, issue, dependency, likelihood, impact, response and residual state? relationship
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support risk, opportunity, issue, dependency, likelihood, impact, response and residual state? provenance
How is risk, opportunity, issue, dependency, likelihood, impact, response and residual state validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Requirement, constraint, policy, compliance, safety, privacy, control and exception

External requirement or policy reference, applicability, jurisdiction, control, evidence, control owner, exception, expiry and residual concern.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define requirement, constraint, policy, compliance, safety, privacy, control and exception? constraint
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support requirement, constraint, policy, compliance, safety, privacy, control and exception? provenance
How is requirement, constraint, policy, compliance, safety, privacy, control and exception validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Lifecycle, formalization, performance and learning Preserves the initiative from proposal through formal delivery or closure and separates evidence from conclusions.

Lifecycle transition and formalization history

Records authorized state transitions and transfers into neighboring delivery models.

Propose, screen, sponsor, assess, approve, incubate, activate, pause, cancel, complete and supersede

Typed lifecycle event, prior and next state, actor, authority, rationale, scope, event and knowledge time, evidence and reversibility.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define propose, screen, sponsor, assess, approve, incubate, activate, pause, cancel, complete and supersede? lifecycle
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support propose, screen, sponsor, assess, approve, incubate, activate, pause, cancel, complete and supersede? provenance
How is propose, screen, sponsor, assess, approve, incubate, activate, pause, cancel, complete and supersede validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Formalize, derive, transfer, absorb, split, merge, successor and responsibility handover

Typed derivation to or from a Project, Program, Campaign, Operation or successor Initiative, mapping, responsibility transfer, effective time and unresolved obligations.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define formalize, derive, transfer, absorb, split, merge, successor and responsibility handover? lifecycle
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support formalize, derive, transfer, absorb, split, merge, successor and responsibility handover? provenance
How is formalize, derive, transfer, absorb, split, merge, successor and responsibility handover validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Measurement, observation, evaluation and learning

Defines how evidence is collected and how bounded conclusions influence the initiative.

Metric, indicator, definition, formula, unit, baseline, target, window and data source

Metric ID and version, result level, formula, unit, numerator and denominator, baseline, target, period, segment, data source, owner and quality rule.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define metric, indicator, definition, formula, unit, baseline, target, window and data source? classification
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support metric, indicator, definition, formula, unit, baseline, target, window and data source? provenance
How is metric, indicator, definition, formula, unit, baseline, target, window and data source validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Observation, progress, health, variance, evaluation, finding, decision, lesson and recommendation

Source-qualified observation, period, value, uncertainty, progress or health method, variance, evaluation question and method, finding, decision, lesson and applicability.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define observation, progress, health, variance, evaluation, finding, decision, lesson and recommendation? evidence
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support observation, progress, health, variance, evaluation, finding, decision, lesson and recommendation? provenance
How is observation, progress, health, variance, evaluation, finding, decision, lesson and recommendation validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Provenance, interoperability, access, retention and agent operation Supports attributable exchange and safe information lifecycle management.

Source, provenance and interoperability

Keeps source authority and semantic loss visible across initiative projections.

Source assertion, evidence, agent, activity, derivation, revision, confidence and contradiction

Assertion identity, source, responsible agent, generating activity, evidence, derivation, revision, confidence, uncertainty and supporting or contradicting claims.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define source assertion, evidence, agent, activity, derivation, revision, confidence and contradiction? provenance
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support source assertion, evidence, agent, activity, derivation, revision, confidence and contradiction? provenance
How is source assertion, evidence, agent, activity, derivation, revision, confidence and contradiction validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

ArchiMate, IATI, ActivityStreams, PROV, project and results crosswalk

Pinned source and target versions, identity, activity, lifecycle, relation and result mappings, profile guards, omissions, semantic conflicts and round-trip classification.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define archimate, iati, activitystreams, prov, project and results crosswalk? interoperability
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support archimate, iati, activitystreams, prov, project and results crosswalk? provenance
How is archimate, iati, activitystreams, prov, project and results crosswalk validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Access, privacy, retention and safe automation

Controls views, correction and disposition for people and agents.

Role view, purpose, access, disclosure, redaction, exception and audit

Purpose-bound role views at allowed scopes, governed field redaction through projection, disclosure rule, exception authority, expiry and tamper-evident access log.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define role view, purpose, access, disclosure, redaction, exception and audit? access
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support role view, purpose, access, disclosure, redaction, exception and audit? provenance
How is role view, purpose, access, disclosure, redaction, exception and audit validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Retention trigger, legal hold, disposition, tombstone, agent authority, idempotency and post-check

Retention class and trigger, legal or policy hold, deletion eligibility, minimum tombstone, delegated agent scope, precondition, dry run, idempotency key, expected revision and post-check.

What identities, types, roles, scope, versions and explicit values define retention trigger, legal hold, disposition, tombstone, agent authority, idempotency and post-check? retention
Which authority, source, method, evidence, event time and knowledge time support retention trigger, legal hold, disposition, tombstone, agent authority, idempotency and post-check? provenance
How is retention trigger, legal hold, disposition, tombstone, agent authority, idempotency and post-check validated, accessed, changed, contested, corrected and retained? validation

Classifiers Filled

Family: World Models
Category: Activities and processes
Entry kind: aggregate
Navigation path: NAV.ACT.INI
Domain: ACT.INI
Industry: Cross-industry
Tags: initiativeact.ini

What it is Filled

Owns initiative identity and lineage, source-qualified classification, originating problem or opportunity evidence, case for change, mandate, sponsorship, exploratory scope and guardrails, strategy alignment, options and hypotheses, initiative-scoped stakeholder and result intent, linked-work membership and dependencies, roadmap, gates and experiments, bounded assignments and envelopes, lifecycle, formalization and responsibility-transfer history, initiative metric definitions and evaluation assertions, projections, access and retention. Party, strategy, objective, policy, project, program, portfolio, campaign, operation, activity, experiment, capability, product, service, resource, budget, contract, risk, issue, decision, metric, observation, dataset and generic audit masters remain external.

In scope

Initiative identity, profile, originating evidence, mandate, sponsor, scope, strategy alignment, options, assumptions, stakeholders and intended results
Linked work, dependencies, roadmaps, stages, gates, experiments, roles, resource and funding references, risks, requirements, controls and exceptions
Proposal, screening, approval, incubation, activation, pause, cancellation, completion, formalization, derivation, observations, evaluation, interoperability, access, retention and agent operations

Out of scope

Party, strategy, objective, policy, project, program, portfolio, campaign, operation, activity, experiment, capability, product, service, resource, budget, contract, risk, issue, decision, metric, observation, dataset or audit-log master lifecycle
Treating Initiative as a synonym for Strategy, Objective, Course of Action, Project, Program, Campaign or Operation, or reusing initiative identity after formalization
Implementing portfolio optimization, project scheduling, accounting, procurement, workforce management, experimentation platforms, analytics engines or universal legal compliance and claiming full ISO or ArchiMate conformance from public sources

Why it exists Filled

Distinguishing features Filled

Models an early or loosely bounded effort with a case for change, before or without becoming a project or programme.
Formalisation into a project or programme creates a new master with typed derivation, not a rename.
Holds options and hypotheses about value as explicit assertions to be tested.
Links work it coordinates without owning those work items.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

Treat an initiative as an approved project with budget authority.
Present hypotheses or options as validated results.
Commit resources or budget without mandate.
Take over ownership of linked work items.
Drop stakeholder concerns from the record.

Only with a human decision

Approving the mandate, sponsorship and guardrails.
Formalising, transferring or stopping the initiative.

May

Draft a case for change from cited problem evidence.
Appraise options against stated criteria for review.
Link related work and report dependencies.
Track gate dates and hypothesis results.

Moral aspects Filled

Early initiatives can affect people before formal impact assessment; stakeholder concerns should be captured early.
Experiments within initiatives that involve people need consent and oversight.

Who is affected

Stakeholders affected by the change
Teams contributing work
Sponsors

Owners Filled

Steward

Dimension identity, owner, initiative governance authority, strategy, finance, risk, privacy and records stewards

Roles

Initiative sponsor or accountable owner: Own the case for change, mandate, strategic alignment, authorization and accountable closure or formalization.
Initiative lead or steward: Maintain boundary, options, stakeholders, linked work, roadmap, evidence and change lineage.
Option, architecture or subject-matter steward: Own appraisal criteria, assumptions, solution-neutral option evidence and domain constraints.
Work-object or delivery owner: Own each external project, program, campaign, activity or experiment master and provide source-qualified commitments and evidence.
Outcome, benefit and evaluation steward: Own initiative-scoped result definitions, baselines, targets, evaluation methods and attribution limits without taking ownership of external masters.
Finance, resource, risk and assurance stewards: Control source-qualified envelopes, constraints, exposure, compliance and independent review.
Data, privacy and records steward: Control data quality, protected views, retention, holds, disposition and auditability.

Links to other meta-models Filled

references

Strategy, Policy, Objective, Goal, Course of Action and Requirement models - Resolve external motivation and constraints while keeping initiative alignment and option assertions source-qualified.
Project, Program, Portfolio, Campaign, Operation, Activity, Work Package and Experiment models - Resolve external work masters and formalization targets while preserving their identity, lifecycle, authority and evidence.
Party, Role, Outcome, Benefit, Resource, Budget, Contract, Risk, Issue, Decision, Metric, Observation, Dataset, Policy and Audit models - Bind external masters to initiative-scoped plans, controls and evaluation without copying their lifecycle.

aligned

ArchiMate 3.1 CourseOfAction, WorkPackage, Deliverable, Outcome, Capability and ImplementationEvent - Project strategy and implementation concepts with explicit omission and non-equivalence rules.
IATI Activity, ActivityStreams, PROV-O and OECD results frameworks - Project activity reporting, lifecycle actions, provenance and result-chain evidence with declared semantic loss.

neighbor

Strategy / Policy / Objective / Course of Action - The initiative records source-qualified alignment, contribution and selected option assertions; external motivation and course-of-action masters keep their own identity and authority.
Project / Program / Campaign / Operation - An initiative may precede, span or derive formal delivery objects. Formalization creates a new master identity, mapping and responsibility handover rather than renaming the initiative.
Activity / Work Package / Experiment / Deliverable - The initiative owns membership, coordination and learning assertions while external work objects keep their executable scope, owner, lifecycle and evidence.
Outcome / Benefit / Impact / Observation - The initiative owns intended results logic and initiative-specific evaluation; observed results and external benefit or observation masters keep source identity and method, and activity does not establish causation.
Resource / Budget / Risk / Decision / Policy - The initiative owns scoped assignments, envelopes and control views; authoritative transactions, capacities, risks, decisions and policies remain external.

parent

WM-ACT-005

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Sources Filled

ISO 21500:2021 Project, programme and portfolio management - Context and concepts - International Organization for Standardization
ISO 21502:2020 Project, programme and portfolio management - Guidance on project management - International Organization for Standardization
ArchiMate Model Exchange File Format for the ArchiMate Modeling Language - The Open Group
ArchiMate Certification Program - The Open Group
IATI Activity Standard: iati-activity - International Aid Transparency Initiative
IATI Activity Status codelist - International Aid Transparency Initiative
The Green Book 2026 - HM Treasury, United Kingdom
Guidance on developing business cases - HM Treasury, United Kingdom
PM2 Project Management - European Commission
Activity Vocabulary - World Wide Web Consortium
PROV-O: The PROV Ontology - World Wide Web Consortium
Effective Results Frameworks for Sustainable Development - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
NIST Privacy Framework - National Institute of Standards and Technology
Disposing of records - The National Archives, United Kingdom
Date and Time on the Internet: Timestamps - Internet Engineering Task Force

Open questions

Cross-sector definitional review of Initiative outside public-investment appraisal, covering private-sector transformation portfolios, R&D and product discovery, humanitarian and development programming, and defence course-of-action practice, to test whether the single root and the formalization boundary hold outside UK and EU public-sector framing.
Rewrite the templated provenance and validation question pair into finding-specific questions, since twenty-four findings currently share two boilerplate questions that cannot drive differentiated downstream research.
Benefits and impact attribution methodology beyond the OECD and Green Book framing, including contribution versus attribution analysis, counterfactual and comparator design, and the evidence thresholds that permit an initiative to assert a causal claim rather than a correlation.
Jurisdictional retention, records-schedule and privacy review beyond UK National Archives guidance and the NIST Privacy Framework, covering EU, sectoral and public-procurement regimes that bind disposition, legal hold and tombstone minimums.
Pin and test the interoperability crosswalk against an ArchiMate 3.2 specification source plus a project-management ontology, with explicit round-trip loss classification, omissions and semantic-conflict records.
Differentiate artifact forms and identity handling for tamper-evident access logs, retention tombstones and crosswalk records, which currently share one media_or_form pair and one serial identity strategy with all other assertion records.
No successful independent Claude or Grok result was available; cross-sector transformation, finance, organizational-change, benefits-attribution, regional and legal review is required before canonical promotion.
Initiative has no universal cross-sector definition. This package uses an explicit Vercy root boundary and source profiles rather than claiming terminology equivalence.
No approved relation rows were supplied; the registry Project parent link and proposed strategy, program, campaign, work, outcome, finance, risk, decision, observation, policy and audit links remain holds.
The ISO pages are catalogue abstracts, not licensed clause text, so no ISO conformance claim is made and their references only identify the neighboring standards.
The ArchiMate crosswalk is pinned to the 3.1 exchange schema because the 3.2 certification page is not a semantic specification.
Sector profiles need their own governance, funding, safety, privacy, appraisal, evidence and formalization rules.

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification AGENTS.md Source Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

world-models research · reviewable-draft

Built from: models/wm-act-030-initiative/spec.yaml, ver-cy/world-models/card-supplements/wm-act-030-initiative.json