Make the permission identifiable
An authorisation record should let a reader determine what a particular organisation or person may do, under whose authority and within which limits. Give it an identifier and connect it to the actual issuing organisation, holder and governing agreement or procedure. Distinguish a draft from an issued record. A positive conversation, an uploaded sample or a visible badge does not establish the scope of permission. The person issuing the authorisation needs the real authority to make that decision.
Describe activity and place in operational terms
State the permitted activity precisely: producing a defined graphic construction, using identified artwork, displaying a particular mark or participating in a specified network role. List exclusions and conditions where they affect a reader's decision. Identify sites with a controlled site list or a referenced location schedule, including the version used. An organisation-level authorisation and a site-level authorisation can differ. Avoid a free-text phrase such as all locations if the intended agreement actually covers only a defined campaign or region.
Record the start, end and any conditions affecting those dates. Keep issue date, effective date and review date distinct, and explain what happens when information changes or a review becomes due. If the record represents an intellectual-property licence, the actual agreement determines its rights. Government guidance identifies licence scope and duration as terms to resolve; this planning record does not supply missing legal terms or decide the effect of an ambiguous contract.
Keep evidence and changes connected to the record
Identify the decision record and evidence supporting the authorisation, with their relevant versions and reviewers. State whether conditions need confirmation before activity begins and who accepts that confirmation. If a site, product or permitted use changes, create a reviewed amendment or new record and preserve the earlier issued version. Explain the status in plain language, such as issued with a stated condition or expired for new allocations. A date change typed into a browser draft is not an authoritative extension of permission.
Worked example — fictional
A fictional campaign owner authorises Provider North to produce two named insert formats for sites G01 and G03 between agreed dates. The record excludes installation and links to artwork revision A04. Site G02 later joins the campaign with a different holder size. The coordinator prepares an amendment naming that site and construction, then asks the authorised decision-maker to review it. The earlier record remains available, and the draft amendment is not presented as permission for G02. Staff can see which production activity is covered and which still needs a decision.
Check ambiguous boundaries before relying on the record
An organisation name without its actual identity can confuse similarly named businesses. A site address without a location boundary may hide multiple fixtures or buildings. A future review date should not silently turn into an expiry date or guarantee continued permission. Do not assume a general authorisation permits sublicensing, subcontracting, installation or public use of a mark. Avoid placing private evaluation documents inside a public-facing authorisation summary merely to make that summary appear well evidenced.
Prepare a controlled issue and recipient check
Use the commitments tool to draft the scope, covered sites, dates and conditions, then have the responsible issuer and holder review the record against the actual agreement. Ask the intended recipient to explain the next permitted action and an excluded action. Resolve disagreement before issuance. Retain who issued the record, which version was communicated and how changes are notified. The public Graphic Accord planner helps structure a draft; authoritative issuance, private access and revocation require an implemented controlled process.
Take this to the next job
- Identify the real issuer, holder and governing record.
- Name permitted activities and exclusions.
- Reference the exact site schedule and effective dates.
- Record conditions, evidence versions and amendment authority.
