A request is a spark. It is not yet execution. Until it becomes a work item, it can drift between messages, notes, side calls, and half-remembered promises.
Working 500 turns the spark into the record that matters. It gets an owner, a lane, a plan, approval state when needed, and a run trail when the work moves.
That record is how planner views, dashboards, saved views, and audit surfaces stop arguing about the same work.