Lifecycle State

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A Lifecycle State identifies the condition of a modeled thing at a specified time during its existence.

A Lifecycle State provides a stable semantic representation of the modeled thing between applicable transitions. A change from one Lifecycle State to another may be caused, authorized, observed, or recorded by a Lifecycle Event.

A Lifecycle State may identify:

• The modeled thing to which the state applies
• The assigned state
• The time or period during which the state applies
• The event that caused or recorded entry into the state
• The preceding state
• The permitted succeeding states
• The rule authorizing the transition
• Evidence supporting the state assignment
• Provenance describing how the state assignment was established

A Lifecycle State is distinct from a Lifecycle Stage. A Lifecycle Stage represents a broader phase of a lifecycle and may contain multiple Lifecycle States.

A Lifecycle State is also distinct from a Lifecycle Event. A Lifecycle State represents a condition that applies at a specified time or during a specified period. A Lifecycle Event represents an occurrence that may cause, authorize, observe, or record a transition between states.

A Lifecycle State may be specialized for a particular kind of modeled thing. Examples include:

• Operational Lifecycle State
• Logical Node Lifecycle State
• Agreement Lifecycle State
• Transaction Lifecycle State
• Contract Lifecycle State
• Payment Lifecycle State
• Settlement Lifecycle State

condition of a modeled thing at a specified time during its existence

Adapted from:

• Lifecycle Semantics
• Lifecycle Stage
• Lifecycle Event
• Operational Lifecycle
• Operational Lifecycle State
• Logical Node Lifecycle State
• OMG Systems Modeling Language Version 2.0
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, Systems and software engineering — System life cycle processes
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 24748-1:2024, Systems and software engineering — Life cycle management — Part 1: Guidelines for life cycle management

This definesLifecycle State as the general concept specialized by Operational Lifecycle State, Logical Node Lifecycle State, Agreement Lifecycle State, and other domain-specific lifecycle-state concepts.

• A Lifecycle State applies to an identified modeled thing
• A Lifecycle State identifies a condition at a specified time or during a specified period
• A modeled thing may occupy different Lifecycle States at different times
• The applicable lifecycle model defines the permitted Lifecycle States
• The applicable lifecycle model defines the permitted transitions among Lifecycle States
• A Lifecycle Event may cause, authorize, observe, or record a transition
• A Lifecycle Stage may contain multiple Lifecycle States
• A Lifecycle State is distinct from a Lifecycle Stage
• A Lifecycle State is distinct from a Lifecycle Event
• A current Lifecycle State does not overwrite earlier Lifecycle States
• State history must preserve the order and applicable periods of earlier state assignments
• A Lifecycle State may be asserted, observed, calculated, or derived
• A derived Lifecycle State should identify the rule and source information used to derive it
• A Lifecycle State does not by itself constitute a legal determination
• The platform-independent definition does not prescribe a particular state-machine notation, execution engine, or serialization format

An Agreement progresses through Proposed, Under Negotiation, Executed, Effective, and Expired Lifecycle States.

The execution of the Agreement is a Lifecycle Event that causes or records a transition from Under Negotiation to Executed.

The arrival of the Effective Date causes or records a transition from Executed to Effective.

The current Lifecycle State does not overwrite the earlier state assignments. Each state and transition remains available in the Agreement's lifecycle history.