Job step lifecycle

The Lifecycle

Transitions Explained

Each declared step exists at submission. The common task handler reports its attempt, executes the owner’s work and records completion or non-applicability. A retryable error leaves a safe attempt account and freezes progress. A new retry job copies completed predecessor steps so orchestration can bypass them.

What Cannot Happen

A different final outcome cannot replace a settled step. Identical reports add no history. Reconciliation leaves queued steps alone, but the reporter is not a strict adjacency validator for all nonfinal states. Recording step failure and settling the root are separate engine operations.

Concurrency and Timing

The writer commits step, event and root summary together using version checks. Transient diagnostic text stays in logs; the recorded attempt can retain an error name and correlation reference.