Definition
A Constraint is a governed condition that restricts or requires specific characteristics, states, or behaviors. Constraints may apply to individual Objects, Relationships, Workflows, Contracts, Policies, or other managed elements. A Constraint defines what must remain true rather than how it is enforced.
Purpose
This document defines Constraint within the OCOM Specification.
A Constraint establishes conditions or limitations that govern the structure, behavior, or interactions of Objects.
Constraints ensure consistency, integrity, and compliance throughout the OCOM ecosystem.
Business meaning
Constraints protect operational integrity by ensuring that organizational rules and business requirements are consistently respected.
They reduce ambiguity, prevent invalid operations, and improve interoperability across organizational systems.
Design principles
A Constraint shall:
- define explicit conditions
- be verifiable
- support governance
- preserve consistency
- support traceability
- remain technology independent
Core characteristics
Every Constraint shall define:
- Identifier
- Name
- Purpose
- Scope
A Constraint may additionally define:
- Description
- Severity
- Effective Period
- Exception Policy
- Related Policies
- Evaluation Criteria
Relationship to other specifications
Constraint interacts with:
ocom:Objectocom:Policyocom:Contractocom:Workflowocom:Lifecycleocom:Capabilityocom:Evaluationocom:Governance
Constraints define operational limitations without prescribing implementation.
Compared with
Read as: OCOM term, the nearest concept in the other model, and how close they are. Similar means the two carry the same intent; Partial means they overlap but differ in scope or obligation; None means the other model has no counterpart. The verdicts are site-published editorial judgments, not normative.
- OCOM vs Ontology: Partial (Axiom / SHACL shape)
- OCOM vs Data Model: Similar (Constraint / Check)
- OCOM vs Process Model: Partial (Gateway / Guard)
Independence
The Constraint specification does not prescribe:
- validation engines
- rule languages
- workflow systems
- implementation technologies
Organizations remain free to implement Constraints using any compatible approach.
Constraint Scope
Constraints may apply to:
- Objects
- Relationships
- Contracts
- Workflows
- Lifecycles
- Policies
- Capabilities
- Registries
- Organizational Domains
Organizations may define additional scopes.
Constraint Categories
Examples include:
- Structural Constraint
- Lifecycle Constraint
- Business Constraint
- Security Constraint
- Regulatory Constraint
- Temporal Constraint
- Data Quality Constraint
- Operational Constraint
Organizations may define additional categories.
Constraint Evaluation
Constraints should be evaluated whenever relevant operational activities occur.
Evaluation may determine whether a Constraint is:
- Satisfied
- Violated
- Not Applicable
- Pending Verification
Evaluation methods are organization-specific.
Constraint Violations
Organizations shall define procedures for handling violations.
Responses may include:
- rejection
- warning
- escalation
- approval workflow
- exception handling
Violation history should be preserved.
Exceptions
Organizations may define controlled exceptions.
Exceptions should specify:
- justification
- approving authority
- validity period
- associated risks
Exceptions shall remain traceable.
Governance
Constraint governance shall define:
- ownership
- approval
- modification
- retirement
- review
Governance activities shall preserve consistency.
Auditability
Organizations shall preserve:
- constraint history
- evaluation history
- violation history
- exception history
- governance decisions
Audit records shall remain immutable.
Conformance
A compliant implementation shall:
- define Constraints explicitly
- support evaluation
- preserve governance
- maintain auditability
- remain technology independent
Provenance
Governance records: —
| Version | Date | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | 20 July 2026 | Initial draft |