# Similar Cases Route to Different Outcomes

## Ontology Metadata

Code: ISS-0001
Version: ISS-0001@0.1.0
Ontology release: 0.1.0
Updated: 2026-05-10T00:00:00Z
Canonical URL: /workbench/issues/similar-cases-route-to-different-outcomes/

## Summary

Similar inputs, cases, prompts, or workflow states are routed to different outcomes without a declared difference that explains the split.

## Category

- CAT-0090 — Inconsistent Behavior
  - URL: /workbench/categories/inconsistent-behavior/
  - Summary: Problems where similar inputs, repeated attempts, validations, prompts, routes, or cases produce different results without a clear reason.

## Primary Pattern

- PAT-0210 — Non-Deterministic Execution
  - URL: /workbench/patterns/non-deterministic-execution/
  - Summary: A structural condition where equivalent inputs and declared constraints produce divergent outputs across executions.

## Declared Patterns

- PAT-0210 — Non-Deterministic Execution
  - URL: /workbench/patterns/non-deterministic-execution/
  - Summary: A structural condition where equivalent inputs and declared constraints produce divergent outputs across executions.
- PAT-0290 — Divergent Outputs
  - URL: /workbench/patterns/divergent-outputs/
  - Summary: A structural condition where parallel evaluations under comparable scope and shared authority produce non-equivalent outputs.
- PAT-0240 — Authority-State Mismatch
  - URL: /workbench/patterns/authority-state-mismatch/
  - Summary: A structural condition where observed system state no longer aligns with the declared authority state that is supposed to govern it.

## Derived Primary Lenses

- LEN-0170 — Convergence Lens
  - URL: /workbench/lenses/convergence-lens/
  - Summary: Compares parallel structural systems to determine whether they align under shared authority.
- LEN-0180 — Determinism Lens
  - URL: /workbench/lenses/determinism-lens/
  - Summary: Evaluates whether identical structural inputs produce equivalent structural outputs across repeated executions.
- LEN-0270 — Reconciliation Lens
  - URL: /workbench/lenses/reconciliation-lens/
  - Summary: Evaluates whether structural changes align with declared authority updates, version changes, or reconciliation rules.
- LEN-0290 — Variance / Entropy Lens
  - URL: /workbench/lenses/variance-entropy-lens/
  - Summary: Measures structural variability across repeated or comparable evaluations and identifies divergence beyond expected bounds.

## Derived Secondary Lenses

- LEN-0140 — Compression Lens
  - URL: /workbench/lenses/compression-lens/
  - Summary: Reduces structural graphs into stable minimal representations for comparison, redundancy detection, and diffing.
- LEN-0280 — Reference Stability Lens
  - URL: /workbench/lenses/reference-stability-lens/
  - Summary: Evaluates whether structural references, identifiers, nodes, and edges remain consistent across execution cycles or comparable states.

## Search Intents

- similar cases route to different outcomes
- same case gets different result
- AI routes similar requests differently
- similar prompts produce different decisions
- same workflow state gets different outcome
- AI decision path is inconsistent