Build systems people can trust
A working product gives someone a reason to use it. The next question is whether its permissions, behavior and promises deserve that use. A successful demo answers only the questions exercised by the demo. It leaves other questions open: who else can reach the data, where copies go, what happens when access changes, and how the team would discover a failure.
These questions matter whether people write the code directly or use AI to help. An assistant can contribute to secure development when requirements and review are explicit. The team still has to decide what the system should permit and what evidence is sufficient to release it.
PRAE uses four gaps to organize that work. Permission examines allowed actions. Behavior examines what the system does against what the business promises. Proof examines the evidence behind a conclusion. Drift examines whether that evidence still describes the system.
| Gap | The question to ask | A useful starting artifact |
|---|---|---|
| Permission | Who can do what to whose data? | A permission map and bounded access tests |
| Behavior | Does the product do what we tell people it does? | A data journey linked to specific claims |
| Proof | What supports this conclusion? | A dated finding with evidence and limits |
| Drift | What has changed since we checked? | A change record linked to affected evidence |
Start with one consequential workflow. Name its owner and follow it through all four gaps. A specific, unfinished answer is more useful than a broad assurance nobody can substantiate.