---
id: expert-contributions.lifecycle
title: Contribution Lifecycle and Status
summary: Interpret Contribution, activity, task, expert-runtime, and checkpoint states without inferring completion.
kind: reference
product_area: expert_contributions
status: stable
updated: 2026-08-22
canonical: /docs/expert-contributions/lifecycle-and-status
---

# Contribution Lifecycle and Status

## Definition

Contribution status, task status, expert-runtime state, and checkpoint state describe different layers. Read them together before diagnosing delay or declaring completion.

## Fields, states, or lifecycle rules

### Contribution status

| Status | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `PREPARING_DIRECTION` | Teammately is planning the direction and requested work |
| `AWAITING_DIRECTION_ALIGNMENT` | An administrator decision or alignment is required |
| `MATERIALIZING_TASKS` | The confirmed plan is becoming executable expert activities |
| `READY` | Work is prepared and available to the expert |
| `IN_PROGRESS` | At least part of the expert work is active |
| `COMPLETED` | Required expert work and finalization reached the durable terminal state |
| `CANCELLED` | Further work was stopped while preserving the record |

Planned activities can be Case Review, Form, Chat, or Interview. An individual review task can be preparing, blocked, ready, in progress, completed, skipped, or superseded. A superseded task remains provenance for what changed; it should not be counted as current outstanding work.

### Runtime and checkpoints

The expert runtime moves through preparing, ready, active, final checkpoint, completed, or exhausted. `EXHAUSTED` means the current executable path has no further work; it is not a synonym for a successfully completed Contribution.

A checkpoint moves from preparing to ready to reconciled. Its requirements may be pending, retryable, materialized, terminal-empty, or failed. Checkpoints can consolidate requirements, capture Policy meaning, prepare or record an Interview, or materialize Rubric meaning. A ready checkpoint still needs the expert's reconciliation.

### Diagnosing state

If the Contribution is `IN_PROGRESS` but the expert sees no action, inspect the current task, runtime, and checkpoint. A blocked task may be waiting for evidence; a final checkpoint may need confirmation; an exhausted runtime may require administrator follow-up. Use Logs & Status for durable timing and engagement evidence rather than relying on a stale open browser view.

> Completion boundary
>
> `COMPLETED` makes contributed evidence available for downstream governance. It does not automatically approve a Policy or Rubric, select a Case into a benchmark, or apply a coverage observation.

## Related task pages

{% related-card-grid title="Related task pages" %}
- [Request an Expert Contribution](/docs/expert-contributions/request-contribution)
- [Complete an Expert Contribution](/docs/expert-contributions/complete-contribution)
{% /related-card-grid %}

## Source confidence

Code-backed: administrator and expert runtime sources define the layered Contribution, task, runtime, checkpoint, and requirement states described here.