AI agents in business: improve execution without losing control

Start with the work to be done

Describe a task the team actually encounters: gathering information, preparing a reply or following a case. Define its starting point, result and people involved before choosing an agent.

Measure the total time taken by the current process, including searches, checks and rework. The number of requests handled is not enough if their complexity varies.

Check whether an agent is needed

Fixed-rule automation may be enough for a predictable task. An agent becomes an option to consider when the task requires interpreting a request or choosing between steps, provided the team can check the result.

Compare these options across the same scope. A simpler solution to maintain may be preferable to a more flexible agent that is harder to control.

Start with limited assistance

For an initial pilot, let the agent prepare work the team can review. Limit available sources and actions. Do not add access to tools without a specific need.

Distinguish preparing from executing: proposing an update does not authorise publishing it. Define which actions the agent can perform alone and which need approval before execution.

Evaluate usable results

Test normal requests and incomplete or conflicting cases. Record accepted responses, significant errors and correction time. An agent that produces more drafts may also increase the review workload.

Check facts, recipients and commitments made. If information is missing, the expected result may be a clarification request or human handover rather than an invented answer.

Expand based on the pilot

Increase volume or available actions only after observing satisfactory operation. Keep an owner, a stop procedure and tracking for cases the agent has not completed.

Return to the previous process if total time, quality or control deteriorates. A pilot is also useful when it shows that an agent is not the right choice for the task.

• Define a task and a measured baseline.
• Compare an agent with fixed rules.
• Limit actions and test exceptions.
• Measure results after correction.