Session 7· 05· 8 min
Decision Framework
What you'll learn
- ▸Use a 5-question flowchart to choose an agent architecture
- ▸Map common constraints to recommended patterns
- ▸Avoid over-engineering by starting with the simplest viable pattern
You now know all the patterns and their trade-offs. This lesson puts it all together into a practical decision framework. When starting a new project, work through these five questions in order. Stop as soon as you get a definitive answer.
Start simple
The first question is the most important. Most projects — including many that feel complex — can be solved with a single well-designed agent. Only escalate when you have evidence that a single agent is not enough.
The 5-question flowchart
Q1. Can a single agent with well-chosen tools solve this?
If YES
→ Stop here. Use a single agent. This is the best default.
If NO — too many tools, context overflow, or team constraints
→ Continue to Q2.
Q2. Do you need distributed development (different teams own different agents)?
If YES
→ Use Subagents or Skills — both allow independent deployment.
If NO
→ Continue to Q3.
Q3. Is the workflow conversational or sequential (triage then specialist then follow-up)?
If YES
→ Use Handoffs — agents pass control in a conversational chain.
If NO
→ Continue to Q4.
Q4. Do you need parallel execution of independent tasks?
If YES
→ Use Subagents (supervisor dispatches) or Router (classify and fan out).
If NO
→ Continue to Q5.
Q5. Do you need minimal latency on repeat queries in the same domain?
If YES
→ Use Handoffs or Skills — both maintain context efficiently across turns.
If NO — none of the above
→ Re-evaluate. You may actually need a single agent, or a custom hybrid.
Constraint-to-pattern summary
Here is the same information as a quick-reference matrix. Check which constraints apply to your project and see which patterns satisfy them:
| Single agent | Subagents | Handoffs | Skills | Router | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Few tools (< 10) | |||||
| Many tools (15+) | |||||
| Distributed dev teams | |||||
| Conversational flow | |||||
| Parallel execution | |||||
| Minimal latency | |||||
| Simple to debug | |||||
| Low cost |
When in doubt, prototype two patterns
If you are torn between two patterns, build a minimal prototype of each. Measure call count, latency, and accuracy on 10 representative inputs. The numbers will make the decision obvious. This is faster than debating in a meeting.
Check your understanding
Knowledge Check
You are building a task manager where users give complex multi-step instructions. A single agent with 8 tools handles it well today, but the team wants to 'future-proof' with multi-agent. What should you do?
Knowledge Check
A company has a billing team and a support team who want to develop their agents independently. The system handles conversational support flows. Which pattern fits best?
Up next
The framework is yours. The next lesson maps 6 real-world applications to these patterns so you can see how the theory translates to practice.