Must an agent follow one reference sequence to pass a handover task?

**Should the reference action sequence be the only passing answer?**

Usually not. A generated handover task may permit several legitimate routes. An agent might request a missing attachment before drafting the transfer, or prepare a draft and request the attachment before dispatch. Both can satisfy the same business requirement.

**What should remain fixed?**

Define the invariants: required evidence is present before dispatch, no unauthorised approval occurs, unresolved work retains an owner and the final state matches the task's objective. Where order matters, express that order as a constraint rather than requiring the entire reference trace.

**How can evaluators handle borderline alternatives?**

Inspect whether the alternative changes commitments, exposes information or leaves additional work unresolved. Two traces that end with the same status label may still have different business effects. Conversely, different intermediate statuses may be harmless.

A task pack could include accepted outcome predicates and explicit prohibited transitions. Keep a reference trace as an explanation and debugging aid. This approach reduces false failures caused by stylistic differences while retaining strict checks on the decisions and state changes that matter.