Snapshots & audit trail
Snapshots are immutable governance records. They preserve what was known at a point in time and what posture was formed from that evidence.
Why snapshots are immutable
Governance depends on stability. If past positions can be edited, reporting becomes unreliable and accountability becomes unclear. PACT snapshots are intentionally write-once: they capture posture and the resulting outputs as a time-stamped record.
Signals can change. Snapshots preserve history.
Teams continue to update signals as delivery evolves. Snapshots separate the living working view from the official governance record. This supports weekly cadence, steering decisions, and auditability over time.
Audit trail is not optional
PACT records key governance actions (snapshots, transitions, pause/resume, closure). This makes governance activity reviewable and supports regulated environments where decision trails matter.
By comparing snapshots over time, PACT can highlight posture drift, worsening domains, and unresolved caps. This is designed to surface changes early, before issues become systemic.