What happens when a receiving team acts before a prerequisite is satisfied?

A referral coordinator sends referral REF-2187 to the scheduling team. The referral contains a preferred appointment window, a completed intake form and a funding clearance request linked as CLR-0412. Scheduling can hold an appointment slot, but its booking policy requires clearance before confirmation.

A funding officer changes CLR-0412 from awaiting documents to under review. The scheduling agent reads the update as progress and confirms booking BKG-0631. The patient receives confirmation even though the prerequisite remains unresolved. When clearance is declined, the administration team must withdraw the booking and explain the reversal.

The correct action at the handover was narrower: reserve a provisional slot, preserve the clearance dependency and keep the booking unconfirmed. The receiving team had enough information to prepare work, but insufficient authority to complete it.

A generated task pack could present the referral, clearance history and booking actions together. The scenario teaches that a positive state change does not necessarily satisfy a gate. Evaluation can distinguish an agent that recognises movement in a dependency from one that verifies the exact condition required for the next action.