Begin with a workflow. Use explicit steps where the rules are known. Consider an AI agent where the task needs interpretation and a choice of tools, with clear boundaries and review points.
Use rules and explicit workflow logic.
Consider a bounded AI agent with approved tools.
Include a human review and a clear fallback.
What an agent adds
An AI agent can interpret a goal, break a task into steps and use tools or information to work toward it. The degree of autonomy depends on how the system is designed. A conversational interface alone does not tell you what an agent is allowed to do.
Reference: AWS: what are AI agents? ↗
Map the job before selecting the tools
Take an incoming customer request. It might need categorization, information from an account record, a proposed response and an update to a support system. Write those steps down. Mark which are fixed rules, which involve interpretation and which create an external consequence.
Our recommendation is to keep predictable steps explicit. An AI component might propose a category or draft a response while the surrounding workflow checks required fields and sends the draft to a person. You can introduce more flexibility after evaluating that smaller workflow.
Define the limits as part of the brief
A pilot brief should describe the approved tools and data as clearly as the desired result. Ask:
- Which systems can the agent read, and which can it change?
- Which actions need a person to approve them?
- What happens when a tool is unavailable or a document cannot be found?
- How should the system respond when a request is outside its scope?
- Who can inspect a run and stop or retry a failed workflow?
Choose a small, observable pilot
A useful first pilot has a recognizable beginning and end. For example: prepare a support reply from approved documents, then let an operator review it. Another option is to assemble a recurring report from a defined set of sources without distributing it automatically. These are proposed use cases, not claims about a deployed TOPITECH project.
Agree on what to measure before building. We might examine whether the task was completed correctly, which edits a reviewer needed, and how much time and cost each run required. Keep a record of failures, not only successful examples.
Think beyond the demo
Decide who maintains integrations, updates instructions and reviews new failure cases. If the workflow changes, revisit permissions and test cases. If a fixed integration can do a step reliably, it can remain a fixed integration.
TOPITECH can help define the workflow, build the agreed automation or agent interface, and document how your team will operate it. Start with one job worth doing well.