Write the operator handoff for a return that cannot be fully compensated
A provider confirms an effect that cannot be reversed, and support needs to close the technical incident without fabricating a clean rollback.
- Focused work estimate
- 2h 30m + prerequisites
- Priority in the scenario
- Medium
- Engineering practice
- Operational recovery · Auditability
Estimated field mix
- Distributed systems60%
- Site reliability40%
Field percentages are editorial estimates of the ticket's engineering focus. They total 100%; they are not measured time, proficiency scores, or ownership evidence.
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Project context
A fictional equipment-rental service approves returns through several provider calls. Partial failures leave labels issued without inspections or refunds reported before provider confirmation.
Setup prerequisites
- Create synthetic return records and fake inspection, shipping and refund adapters.
- Use integer money values and no real payments or messages.
Preceding work
Complete these dependencies, or supply their agreed outputs before taking this ticket.
- ASAGA-101 · Model return workflow steps as durable facts with explicit pending states
- ASAGA-102 · Define stable provider command keys for each return step
- ASAGA-103 · Write the compensation table for return side effects
- ASAGA-104 · Persist return progress and next-step dispatch atomically
- ASAGA-105 · Reconcile shipping acceptance before issuing a replacement label
- ASAGA-106 · Run label compensation only when its original effect is confirmed
- ASAGA-107 · Authorize refund progression from verified return facts
- ASAGA-108 · Show return workflow progress without hiding unresolved compensation
- ASAGA-109 · Replay a return workflow from its durable history after an orchestrator crash
Acceptance criteria
- List confirmed effects, attempted corrections and unresolved consequences.
- Define authorized manual decisions separately from automated transitions.
- Preserve original receipts and incident provenance.
Implementation constraints
- Use a fabricated return and no actual financial advice or transfer.
Verification to include
- Document a successful full compensation case.
- Document an irreversible fake-provider outcome without marking it rolled back.
Deliverables
- Return exception runbook and worked incident
Rollout and recovery
Review exceptions before manual action; append resolutions instead of rewriting workflow history.
Value of the work
For the engineer: Practice durable workflow state, compensation and uncertain outcomes.
For the team: Review recoverable business operations without assuming distributed transactions.
Evidence boundaries
Outcome Evidence: Tests, patches, and runbooks are requested deliverables. They become Outcome Evidence only through a qualified Mission and immutable Evidence IDs.
Ownership Evidence: Independent adaptation must be observed under a declared verification policy and cite immutable Evidence IDs. Completing a planning ticket establishes no Ownership Evidence.