Could one system record the start while another records completion?¶

Yes. Client submission, server receipt, application processing and database commit are distinct stages with different times and potentially different results. Their records can be consistent without matching.

State can change through the transaction¶

Network delay, validation, queues and retries separate stages. A client can show “sent”, a firewall “allowed” and an application “rejected”. An operation accepted initially may later be reversed. An early success therefore need not establish final outcome.

Link stages and report each precisely¶

Use request, transaction, session and correlation IDs to test whether records belong to one operation. Preserve all status values and obtain field definitions showing whether time marks creation, receipt, start, completion or final state.

Describe the earliest supported stage rather than calling it completion, and do not treat the final system record as proof of the original human action. If no outcome entry exists, conclude only that the operation was initiated or received as the evidence shows.