// PRACTICAL GUIDE //
Do you need an AI agent—or a simpler workflow?
Choose the simplest approach that can complete the task reliably. A fixed sequence, an AI-assisted draft, and an agent solve different kinds of problems.
Start with what the system must decide.
For this guide, an agent means a system that can choose between permitted steps or tools while pursuing a defined task. That flexibility can be useful, but it also creates more decisions to test and supervise.
Use rules for a known path.
If a request has a category, assign it to the matching queue. If a required field is missing, flag it. A fixed rule is often enough when the conditions and actions are already known.
Add AI for unstructured inputs.
An email or document may need summarizing, classification, or a draft response. AI can assist inside a fixed workflow while a person checks uncertain or consequential outputs.
Consider an agent for variable steps.
A task may require choosing which approved source to consult or which permitted check to perform next. Consider an agent only when that flexibility has a clear purpose and can be bounded.
Compare the options on one task.
Illustrative example: for an incoming customer request, rules can route a selected form category. AI assistance can suggest a category from free text. An agent might choose which approved knowledge sources to search before preparing a response. None of these examples requires automatically sending the response.
- 01Request received
- 02Choose permitted checks
- 03Prepare an answer
- 04Person approves
Set the boundaries before the tools.
- Which sources may the system read?
- Which actions may it take, and which require approval?
- What stops it if information conflicts or a tool fails?
- Who owns unresolved requests?
- How will you test ordinary cases, exceptions, and repeated requests?
Make it earn the extra complexity.
If a fixed workflow handles the task, start there. If AI helps interpret the input, add it at that point. Use an agent when choosing between steps provides a meaningful benefit that you can test and support.