Core concepts · Technical definition
The map is not the territory.
Also known as Korzybski · Map–territory distinction
Definition
A useful principle for auditing: the document represents the operation, but does not capture it fully. Auditing means looking at the gap between what is written and what happens.
Nature
Author's definition
Further detail
The documentation of a management system is the map. The actual operation is the territory. The auditor's job is to look at that gap and identify where the written system stopped resembling the system in practice.
Applied example
An IT security policy may state that access reviews take place quarterly. The actual technical record may show that reviews take place every nine months. The policy is the map. The technical record is the territory.