KB article

Governance for AI Analytics: Change Control for Semantics

Governance ensures semantic changes are intentional and traceable.

arf-kbai-readiness-interoperabilitysemantic-driftsemantic-contractmeasure-inventory

TL;DR

  • Semantic changes must be reviewed.
  • Governance prevents drift and surprises.

The problem

  • Metrics change without documentation or approval.
  • AI outputs drift over time.

Why it matters

  • Governance maintains trust and compliance.
  • It protects downstream consumers.

Symptoms

  • KPIs change unexpectedly after model updates.
  • Stakeholders lose confidence.

Root causes

  • No change control for semantic updates.
  • Lack of ownership for key metrics.

What good looks like

  • Change review process for metrics.
  • Owners accountable for definitions.

How to fix

  • Implement a semantic change review process.
  • Track versions and communicate updates.
  • Automate tests for key metrics.

Pitfalls

  • Governance too heavy to use.
  • Changes made outside the process.

Checklist

  • Metric owners assigned.
  • Change reviews implemented.
  • Version history maintained.

Framework placement

Primary ARF layer: AI Readiness & Interoperability. Diagnostic bridge: data-movement-reliability, semantic-reliability, execution-reliability, change-reliability.