How governance drift detection works
Drift detection creates evidence of change — not alerts, scores, or opinions.
This capability sits within Veriscopic’s broader governance evidence model.
What governance drift means
Governance drift occurs when the assumptions recorded in governance artefacts no longer reflect operational reality.
Most organisations recognise that systems evolve. Far fewer maintain evidence showing when those changes occurred and whether governance kept pace.
Drift detection exists to preserve that evidential trail.
Step 1: Evidence snapshots
Veriscopic records immutable snapshots of declared governance evidence at defined points in time.
Each snapshot captures governance facts exactly as they were declared — including system descriptions, accountability, accepted documents, scope, and metadata.
Every snapshot is cryptographically hashed and preserved as a canonical record.
Step 2: Evidence comparison
When a subsequent snapshot is created, it is compared against the most recent prior snapshot.
Any changes to declared governance facts are recorded as drift events.
The comparison is factual. It does not assess intent, quality, or compliance.
What drift detection captures
- Addition, removal, or modification of system declarations
- Changes to accepted governance documents or versions
- Shifts in accountability or ownership metadata
- Alterations to declared purpose or scope
What drift detection does not do
- No compliance scoring or certification
- No regulatory classification or risk judgement
- No continuous monitoring or surveillance
- No legal or policy interpretation
Why this matters under scrutiny
Investigators, auditors, insurers, and regulators are rarely asking whether governance exists today.
They are asking what governance looked like at the time decisions were made.
Drift detection provides a defensible record showing:
- What was originally declared
- What later changed
- When the change occurred
- Whether governance assumptions were maintained
How drift appears in Evidence Packs
Drift events are included in Evidence Packs as part of the governance timeline.
This allows third parties to verify not only that governance existed, but that it remained coherent over time.