---
title: "Parked Is Not the Same as Waiting"
canonical: https://dxdev.com/blog/2026-04-29_parked-versus-waiting/
datePublished: 2026-04-29
---
Two items can both look inactive while needing entirely different next actions. One may be waiting for someone. Another may be deliberately parked.

## The practical check

Give each state a next-action meaning so people do not waste effort treating a deliberate pause as a forgotten task.

## Where AI fits

AI can group inactive work and surface the evidence that distinguishes waiting from intentionally parked.

## The human decision

People define the states and decide when work should resume, close, or remain paused.

## The lesson

Inactive work needs a state that determines the next action: wait for an outside response, stay deliberately parked, or be brought back for a decision.

Waiting and deliberately parked items are given separate next-action states in the Build Log companion.