FG-0201 Authority Architecture
Description
Define a clear, unambiguous hierarchy of authority. In any human-AI collaboration, there must be a single, identifiable authority who has final say on all decisions. This is a matter of clarity. When an agent faces a decision that could have significant consequences, it must know exactly who has the authority to approve it. Authority Architecture eliminates the 'I thought you said it was okay' failure mode.
Implementation
Designate a single authority (typically the human lead) with documented final decision rights. Define what decisions agents can make autonomously vs. what requires approval. Publish the authority chain so every participant, human and AI, knows who decides what. Update as the team scales.
Success Indicators
- Every team member can name the final authority for any decision type
- Agents escalate appropriately rather than making unauthorized decisions
- Decision-making speed increases because authority is clear, not because it is bypassed
- No 'who approved this?' incidents
Failure Modes
- Authority too centralized: bottleneck on every decision
- Authority ambiguous: multiple people think they have final say
- Authority undocumented: exists informally but isn't known to agents
- Authority without presence: the designated authority is clear on paper but unavailable in practice, causing agents to either stall waiting for approval or quietly make decisions they lack authorization for