There isn’t really a conclusion - each solution pattern allows you to trade off progressively less control for more rigidity and determinism. Pick a system that matches your use case the best.

Think of all your state as a state machine. Is there a finite number of possible states you can be in, with clearly defined ways to go to each from each one? You have a finite state machine. Lots of libraries will be available in your language.

Are your state combinations unbounded and unknowable, but still subject to validation and sequencing? This is pretty much any UI - a Redux style system helps you organise changes and make them linear. Any number of states are possible, but they’re all deterministic and can be reproduced.

Can’t linearise the states but still have validation rules for correctness? Sounds like an RDMBS type system - set up you constraints, foreign keys and go to town with any number of threads.

There’s really no right answer. I just try to understand the problem as well as I can and see if the solution presents itself.

There’s also one step after RDBMSs, which is the Redis style key value or data structure stores that allow some level of client based or cooperative structuring, using conditional sets and gets or CAS operations.

Then finally there’s the Wild West of everyone do whatever they want.