The situation I was solving
Automation ideas were being called agents before triggers, permissions, exceptions, tools, accountability, and recovery were understood. That produces compelling demos but fragile operating systems.
Read the underlying principle: A decision system beats another dashboard. →What becomes better
The framework helps teams choose the simplest appropriate solution and exposes the requirements hidden behind autonomy: structured outputs, tool boundaries, idempotency, budgets, audit evidence, confidence, and approval gates.
How I work through it
I begin with the work: outcome, owner, trigger, inputs, deterministic rules, judgment points, systems, failure modes, reversibility, and proof of success. Only then do I decide whether the solution is a template, assistant, workflow, or agent.
Go deeper: The opportunity comes first. The technology comes second. →What I carry forward
Autonomy should be earned by workflow clarity. The strongest agent designs separate proposal from execution and make failure recovery as deliberate as the happy path.
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