The short answer
- Adaptive sequencing should solve an actual uncertainty in the task.
- A model suggestion never replaces application authorization.
- Evaluate recovery effort as well as successful completion.
Use the simplest controllable decision model
If every valid input follows a known branch, explicit software is usually easier to inspect and test. A model may still help classify the input, but that does not require giving it control over the entire sequence. An agent becomes a candidate when the task requires adaptive investigation, such as choosing which source to inspect next after an incomplete result.
Separate reasoning from authority
A model can propose an action without being authorized to execute it. Tool adapters should validate arguments, check the current user’s permissions and apply independent limits. An agent’s explanation is not an access-control decision. Keep irreversible changes behind an approval boundary and return a real operation identifier so success can be verified outside the conversation.
Plan for stopping and recovery
A workflow can fail at a known step; an agent can also loop, choose a poor tool or misunderstand a result. Both need durable context and a recovery owner. Give agents a hard step budget and make partial completion visible. Do not restart the entire task blindly if some external actions may already have succeeded.
Evaluate the business result
Compare approaches on the same representative cases. Track wrong actions, unnecessary escalations, missing evidence and the effort required to recover. A clever sequence is not automatically a better operational outcome. A hybrid often provides a useful boundary: explicit workflow state, a bounded model-assisted decision and a human approval for consequential actions.
Compare the decision boundaries
| Criterion | Workflow | Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence selection | Known steps and explicit branches determine the next operation. | The model selects an allowed step based on newly discovered context. |
| Failure investigation | Inspect the failed step, its input and its business state. | Inspect tool choice, intermediate reasoning context and partial actions. |
| Permission boundary | Validate every application operation against the caller’s authority. | Validate every tool invocation independently of the model’s suggestion. |
| Useful starting point | Repeatable handoffs, approvals and predictable synchronization. | Bounded investigation where the next useful source is not predetermined. |
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