# ADR-0008: Cases for humans, workflows for machines

**Status**: accepted · 2026-09

**Context**: Operators need a unit of accountability; the runtime needs a unit
of execution. Conflating them makes both worse (peer review, Alternative C).

**Decision**: `DecisionCase` (one objective, owner, deadline, completion
contract) is the operator-facing aggregation; workflows are internal execution.
A case references the products of several workflows via `case_id`. Dashboards,
approval inboxes, and reports are projections over cases + ledger + event log,
not standalone feature silos.

**Consequences**: UI work targets case views; a case must never become an
unbounded container (enforced: one objective per case, mandatory completion
contract).