Agentic AI is changing what organisations can automate, but capability alone does not create value. The most important design object is still the workflow.
1. Workflows create value, not agents
Adding an agent to a fragmented process can simply make fragmentation happen faster. Start by understanding the work, decisions and hand-offs.
2. Not everything needs an agent
Rules, integrations and straightforward automation are often cheaper, clearer and more reliable. Use autonomy where judgement and variability justify it.
3. Evaluation is part of the design
Teams need to know what good looks like, where human review sits and how failures become learning rather than surprises.
4. Transparency builds trust
People need to understand what the system is doing, what information it uses and when responsibility returns to a human.
5. Reusable building blocks beat isolated pilots
Shared patterns, governance and components make it easier to move from experimentation to repeatable value.
6. Human work moves, it does not simply disappear
Automation changes where judgement is needed. Leaders need to redesign roles and capability alongside the technology.