---
id: ADR-CRM-ACT-011
title: Activities and tasks outlive the records they concern
product_area: crm
module: activities-tasks
revision: 1
status: proposed
design_intent: proposed
source_sha:
  services-crm: a8d1364f1dd44b723bb5f9acba12f983e9ec8d69
  react-console: baf6dae382d6f41dce976c7f848667ccc37e076f
decision: >-
  Retain interactions and tasks when related records are deleted, removing only activity
  associations or clearing task references; merges instead transfer context to the
  survivor.
constrains:
  - DOM-CRM-ACT-001
  - DOM-CRM-ACT-003
  - WF-CRM-ACT-007
  - SVC-CRM-ACT-activities
  - SVC-CRM-ACT-tasks
origin: >-
  Andrew's ruling D-44 (CRM-M8, 2026-10-19, deferred: no automatic reassignment to the
  organization, no deletion because the last link went, orphaned activities exposed for
  authorized management, removed links in the deletion audit).
alternatives:
  - option: Remove an interaction when its last association disappears.
    why_not: >-
      The cited retention ruling requires keeping the interaction rather than deleting it
      with its context.
  - option: Attach an unlinked interaction automatically to the deleted person’s organization.
    why_not: >-
      The cited ruling rejects inventing a relationship that the original interaction did
      not declare.
consequences:
  - Interactions remain visible on every surviving related-record timeline.
  - >-
    A retained interaction without associations lacks a timeline and landing until
    authorized management is implemented.
  - Tasks retain their work and routing when a related reference is cleared.
  - Merge transfers occur inside the merge transaction.
supersedes: []
evidence:
  - >-
    services-crm at a8d1364f: modules/activities/db/activity-links.table.ts (cascade);
    db/migrations/0040_tasks.sql (set null); modules/merges/references/crm-references.ts;
    docs/milestones/CRM-M8-activities-and-tasks.md (D-44).
---

# Activities and tasks outlive the records they concern

## Context

A relationship record can disappear while earlier interactions and outstanding work remain relevant. Context removal and work removal need separate semantics.

## Decision

The existing retention ruling is cited rather than decided again. Database cascades remove links and clear task context; local merge policies move retained context. The planned orphan-management and deletion-audit behavior remains deferred.

## Alternatives Considered

The structured alternatives describe concrete competing designs and their tradeoffs. Where the origin records an existing ruling, it remains the authority; an observed implementation does not establish Product’s rejection of every alternative.

## Consequences

Deleting context does not erase the interaction or work. A removed primary is not automatically replaced, and direct task-reference changes can leave attention context stale.