diff --git a/jbpm/jbpm-flow/src/main/java/org/jbpm/process/instance/LightWorkItemManager.java b/jbpm/jbpm-flow/src/main/java/org/jbpm/process/instance/LightWorkItemManager.java
index bb39be37456..234c0455509 100755
--- a/jbpm/jbpm-flow/src/main/java/org/jbpm/process/instance/LightWorkItemManager.java
+++ b/jbpm/jbpm-flow/src/main/java/org/jbpm/process/instance/LightWorkItemManager.java
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ public void internalAddWorkItem(InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem) {
     public InternalKogitoWorkItem getWorkItem(String workItemId) {
         InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem = workItems.get(workItemId);
         if (workItem == null) {
-            throw new WorkItemNotFoundException(workItemId);
+            throw new WorkItemNotFoundException("Work Item (" + workItemId + ") does not exist", workItemId);
         }
         return workItem;
     }
@@ -92,7 +92,8 @@ public void internalExecuteWorkItem(InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem) {
         internalAddWorkItem(workItem);
         KogitoWorkItemHandler handler = getWorkItemHandler(workItem);
         WorkItemTransition transition = handler.startingTransition(Collections.emptyMap());
-        transitionWorkItem(workItem, transition, true);
+        WorkItemTransition lastTransition = transitionWorkItem(workItem, transition);
+        cleanUp(workItem.getProcessInstance(), workItem, lastTransition);
     }
 
     public KogitoWorkItemHandler getWorkItemHandler(String workItemId) throws KogitoWorkItemHandlerNotFoundException {
@@ -115,7 +116,7 @@ public KogitoWorkItemHandler getWorkItemHandler(InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem)
     public void internalAbortWorkItem(String workItemId) {
         InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem = getWorkItem(workItemId);
         KogitoWorkItemHandler handler = getWorkItemHandler(workItem);
-        transitionWorkItem(workItem, handler.abortTransition(workItem.getPhaseStatus()), false);
+        transitionWorkItem(workItem, handler.abortTransition(workItem.getPhaseStatus()));
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -134,8 +135,8 @@ public void retryWorkItem(String workItemId, Map<String, Object> params) {
         }
         KogitoWorkItemHandler handler = getWorkItemHandler(workItem);
         WorkItemTransition transition = handler.startingTransition(Collections.emptyMap());
-        transitionWorkItem(workItem, transition, true);
-
+        WorkItemTransition lastTransition = transitionWorkItem(workItem, transition);
+        cleanUp(workItem.getProcessInstance(), workItem, lastTransition);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -143,10 +144,10 @@ public void completeWorkItem(String workItemId, Map<String, Object> data, Policy
         InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem = getWorkItem(workItemId);
         workItem.setState(KogitoWorkItem.COMPLETED);
         KogitoWorkItemHandler handler = getWorkItemHandler(workItem);
-        transitionWorkItem(workItem, handler.completeTransition(workItem.getPhaseStatus(), data, policies), false);
+        WorkItemTransition lastTransition = transitionWorkItem(workItem, handler.completeTransition(workItem.getPhaseStatus(), data, policies));
         // process instance may have finished already
         KogitoProcessInstance processInstance = processInstanceManager.getProcessInstance(workItem.getProcessInstanceStringId());
-        processInstance.signalEvent("workItemCompleted", workItem);
+        cleanUp(processInstance, workItem, lastTransition);
 
     }
 
@@ -155,11 +156,10 @@ public void abortWorkItem(String workItemId, Policy... policies) {
         InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem = getWorkItem(workItemId);
         workItem.setState(KogitoWorkItem.ABORTED);
         KogitoWorkItemHandler handler = getWorkItemHandler(workItemId);
-        transitionWorkItem(workItem, handler.abortTransition(workItem.getPhaseStatus(), policies), false);
+        WorkItemTransition lastTransition = transitionWorkItem(workItem, handler.abortTransition(workItem.getPhaseStatus(), policies));
         // process instance may have finished already
         KogitoProcessInstance processInstance = processInstanceManager.getProcessInstance(workItem.getProcessInstanceStringId());
-        processInstance.signalEvent("workItemAborted", workItem);
-
+        cleanUp(processInstance, workItem, lastTransition);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -182,11 +182,9 @@ public void internalCompleteWorkItem(InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem) {
 
     @Override
     public void transitionWorkItem(String workItemId, WorkItemTransition transition) {
-        InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem = workItems.get(workItemId);
-        if (workItem == null) {
-            throw new WorkItemNotFoundException("Work Item (" + workItemId + ") does not exist", workItemId);
-        }
-        transitionWorkItem(workItem, transition, true);
+        InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem = getWorkItem(workItemId);
+        WorkItemTransition lastTransition = transitionWorkItem(workItem, transition);
+        cleanUp(workItem.getProcessInstance(), workItem, lastTransition);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -194,7 +192,7 @@ public Collection<String> getHandlerIds() {
         return this.workItemHandlers.keySet();
     }
 
-    private void transitionWorkItem(InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem, WorkItemTransition transition, boolean signal) {
+    private WorkItemTransition transitionWorkItem(InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem, WorkItemTransition transition) {
         // work item may have been aborted
         KogitoWorkItemHandler handler = this.workItemHandlers.get(workItem.getName());
         if (handler == null) {
@@ -212,21 +210,26 @@ private void transitionWorkItem(InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem, WorkItemTransit
             this.eventSupport.fireAfterWorkItemTransition(workItem.getProcessInstance(), workItem, lastTransition, null);
         }
 
-        if (lastTransition.termination().isPresent()) {
-            internalRemoveWorkItem(workItem.getStringId());
-            if (signal) {
-                switch (lastTransition.termination().get()) {
-                    case COMPLETE:
-                        workItem.setState(KogitoWorkItem.COMPLETED);
-                        processInstance.signalEvent("workItemCompleted", workItem);
-                        break;
-                    case ABORT:
-                        workItem.setState(KogitoWorkItem.ABORTED);
-                        processInstance.signalEvent("workItemAborted", workItem);
-                        break;
-                }
-            }
+        return lastTransition;
+    }
+
+    private void cleanUp(KogitoProcessInstance processInstance, InternalKogitoWorkItem workItem, WorkItemTransition lastTransition) {
+        if (lastTransition.termination().isEmpty()) {
+            return;
         }
+
+        switch (lastTransition.termination().get()) {
+            case COMPLETE:
+                workItem.setState(KogitoWorkItem.COMPLETED);
+                processInstance.signalEvent("workItemCompleted", workItem);
+                break;
+            case ABORT:
+                workItem.setState(KogitoWorkItem.ABORTED);
+                processInstance.signalEvent("workItemAborted", workItem);
+                break;
+        }
+
+        internalRemoveWorkItem(workItem.getStringId());
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/jbpm/jbpm-flow/src/main/java/org/kie/kogito/process/impl/AbstractProcessInstance.java b/jbpm/jbpm-flow/src/main/java/org/kie/kogito/process/impl/AbstractProcessInstance.java
index 39d29374656..1a6e8f1d42e 100644
--- a/jbpm/jbpm-flow/src/main/java/org/kie/kogito/process/impl/AbstractProcessInstance.java
+++ b/jbpm/jbpm-flow/src/main/java/org/kie/kogito/process/impl/AbstractProcessInstance.java
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ protected void reconnect() {
         processInstance.setMetaData(KOGITO_PROCESS_INSTANCE, this);
         addCompletionEventListener();
 
-        for (org.kie.api.runtime.process.NodeInstance nodeInstance : processInstance.getNodeInstances()) {
+        for (org.kie.api.runtime.process.NodeInstance nodeInstance : processInstance.getNodeInstances(true)) {
             if (nodeInstance instanceof WorkItemNodeInstance) {
                 ((WorkItemNodeInstance) nodeInstance).internalRegisterWorkItem();
             }
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ protected void disconnect() {
             return;
         }
 
-        for (org.kie.api.runtime.process.NodeInstance nodeInstance : processInstance.getNodeInstances()) {
+        for (org.kie.api.runtime.process.NodeInstance nodeInstance : processInstance.getNodeInstances(true)) {
             if (nodeInstance instanceof WorkItemNodeInstance) {
                 ((WorkItemNodeInstance) nodeInstance).internalRemoveWorkItem();
             }
diff --git a/jbpm/jbpm-usertask/src/main/java/org/kie/kogito/jbpm/usertask/handler/UserTaskKogitoWorkItemHandlerProcessListener.java b/jbpm/jbpm-usertask/src/main/java/org/kie/kogito/jbpm/usertask/handler/UserTaskKogitoWorkItemHandlerProcessListener.java
index 05297f0fcf0..f1798035d46 100644
--- a/jbpm/jbpm-usertask/src/main/java/org/kie/kogito/jbpm/usertask/handler/UserTaskKogitoWorkItemHandlerProcessListener.java
+++ b/jbpm/jbpm-usertask/src/main/java/org/kie/kogito/jbpm/usertask/handler/UserTaskKogitoWorkItemHandlerProcessListener.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 
 import org.kie.kogito.Model;
 import org.kie.kogito.process.ProcessInstance;
+import org.kie.kogito.process.ProcessInstanceReadMode;
 import org.kie.kogito.process.Processes;
 import org.kie.kogito.process.workitems.InternalKogitoWorkItem;
 import org.kie.kogito.usertask.UserTaskEventListener;
@@ -45,16 +46,18 @@ public void onUserTaskState(UserTaskStateEvent event) {
 
         String processId = (String) event.getUserTaskInstance().getMetadata().get("ProcessId");
         String processInstanceId = (String) event.getUserTaskInstance().getMetadata().get("ProcessInstanceId");
-        ProcessInstance<? extends Model> processInstance = processes.processById(processId).instances().findById(processInstanceId).orElse(null);
+        ProcessInstance<? extends Model> processInstance = processes.processById(processId).instances().findById(processInstanceId, ProcessInstanceReadMode.MUTABLE).orElse(null);
         processInstance.updateWorkItem(event.getUserTaskInstance().getExternalReferenceId(), workItem -> {
             ((InternalKogitoWorkItem) workItem).setActualOwner(event.getUserTaskInstance().getActualOwner());
             return workItem;
         });
         // we check first that the work item is not fished to convey the signal
         Boolean notify = (Boolean) event.getUserTaskInstance().getMetadata().get(DefaultUserTaskLifeCycle.PARAMETER_NOTIFY);
-        if (notify == null || notify) {
-            processInstance.completeWorkItem(event.getUserTaskInstance().getExternalReferenceId(), event.getUserTaskInstance().getOutputs());
+        if (notify != null && !notify) {
+            return;
         }
 
+        processInstance.completeWorkItem(event.getUserTaskInstance().getExternalReferenceId(), event.getUserTaskInstance().getOutputs());
+
     }
 }