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The case lifecycle (end to end)

This is the spine of the whole product. A disciplinary case moves through eight operational phases plus transversal states. Everything else — checklists, deadlines, gates, documents, the portal, the dossier — hangs off this journey. Reading it top to bottom is the fastest way to understand the app.

                          ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   suspicion of           │                THE CASE FILE                 │
   misconduct  ──────────▶│  status • flags • milestone dates • outcome  │
                          └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                            │
   (1) INTAKE ─────────────┐  Abertura: register the facts, the employee, the source.
        │                  │  Flag has_preliminary_inquiry? dismissal_intent?
        │                  │  Produces: Participação Disciplinar, Despacho Inicial,
        │                  │            Termo de Abertura + Nomeação de Instrutor
        ▼                  │
   (2) PRELIMINARY_INQUIRY │  Inquérito Prévio (optional*): investigate before accusing.
        │   *branch        │  Diligências (witness hearings, doc collection…) → Relatório
        │                  │  Instructor proposes: PROCEED_DISCIPLINARY or ARCHIVE.
        │                  │  ⏱ caducidade: Nota de Culpa within 30 days of IP end.
        ▼                  │
   (3) CHARGES_ISSUED ─────┤  Nota de Culpa: the formal written accusation.
        │                  │  Legal review → sign → deliver to employee → proof of receipt.
        ▼                  │
   (4) CONSULTATION_PORTAL │  Consulta do Processo: employee gets portal access to the file.
        │                  │
        ▼                  │
   (5) RESPONSE_WINDOW ────┤  Resposta do Arguido: employee replies / requests diligences.
        │                  │  ⏱ 10 working days from delivery of the Nota de Culpa.
        ▼                  │
   (6) EVIDENCE_PHASE ─────┤  Fase de Prova: run requested + additional diligences.
        │   *branch        │  Consolidate the factual timeline; verify evidence integrity.
        ▼                  │
   (7) BODIES_OPINION ─────┤  Pareceres (only if dismissal_intent AND union/rep involved):
        │   conditional    │  send draft decision to CT/Sindicato, wait 5 working days.
        ▼                  │
   (8) FINAL_REPORT ───────┤  Relatório Final e Decisão: proportionality, reasoning, sanction.
        │                  │  🚪 GATE: decision_approval — must be approved by the DECIDER.
        ▼                  │
      CLOSED ──────────────┘  outcome ∈ {Arquivado, Advertência, Suspensão, Despedimento, Outro}
                              → export the FINAL DOSSIER (immutable snapshot).

   transversal at any point:  SUSPENDED (pauses, remembers previous_status) · ARCHIVED

The two branch points (where the path forks)​

The procedure is not linear — three case flags reshape it:

  • has_preliminary_inquiry (set at intake): if true, the case must go through phase 2 (Inquérito Prévio); if false, it jumps straight from INTAKE to CHARGES_ISSUED.
  • dismissal_intent AND employee_rep_or_union_related: if both, phase 7 (BODIES_OPINION — the mandatory CT/Sindicato consultation) is inserted before the final report; otherwise EVIDENCE_PHASE goes straight to FINAL_REPORT.

Full logic in Conditional branching.

What each phase gives the user​

Every phase presents the same four affordances, composed differently:

AffordanceWhat it is
ChecklistPredefined items the phase requires (DEFAULT_CHECKLISTS) — the "have you done X?" list
DeadlinesLegally-anchored clocks that start on entry (PHASE_DEADLINES)
DeliverablesThe formal documents to produce (Nota de Culpa, Relatório, Ata…)
GateA required approval to leave the phase (only FINAL_REPORT→CLOSED has one)

A phase view (e.g. AperturaPhaseView, InqueritoPrevioPhaseView) renders these; drawers handle editing fields and producing documents. See The workflow engine.

The clocks that run alongside​

The journey is really a race against statutory deadlines. The ones the PoC models:

  • 30 days — issue the Nota de Culpa after the Inquérito Prévio ends (caducidade)
  • 10 working days — the employee's response window
  • 5 working days — wait for the CT/Sindicato opinion
  • 30 days — internal decision deadline after instruction closes

These are the product's reason to exist — and also its most legally fragile code (uncited figures, holiday-blind math, click-time dates). See Phase deadlines.

The employee's parallel journey​

While the internal team works the phases, the arguido experiences a much narrower path: they receive a portal link (token, no login), can view whatever documents the team makes visible, and — during the response window — can submit a written reply and files. Every view/download/submission is logged. See External portal flow.

The endpoint​

Reaching CLOSED with an outcome set, the team exports the final dossier — the bundle that would go to a tribunal. This is the artifact the entire journey exists to produce. See Dossier generation.