Agents: hire, delegate and supervise|INEMA.CLUB-PRO

Lesson 6 · 20 min

One agent or a team

Carlos liked Hora and already wants another agent, for collections. Maybe a third one to check the first two. Sometimes that's right; sometimes it's just a bigger problem with more places to go wrong. In this lesson you decide when the work calls for more than one agent, how they hand work to each other, and where the team stops.

Start the lesson
A sales manager and an IT technician build, on a glass board, a flow of colored sticky notes linked by arrows.

In this lesson you will

  1. 1Take fixed rules out of the agent
  2. 2Recognize the three signs that it's time for a team
  3. 3Write the handoff contract between agents
  4. 4Decide series or parallel, and set limits on attempts, time, and cost

Goal: decide when to split the work across several agents, in series or in parallel, with a handoff contract and limits on attempts, time, and cost.

01The decision ladder

Move up one step only when the one below doesn't solve it. Click each step.

Click each block in the diagram to see what it does.

"Intelligence in sequence, automation in parallel": rule from the Execution Architect (INEMA). The three signs come from the Super-Agents in practice course.

02Horizonte Distribuidora wants to grow the team

Carlos's request: an agent to remind customers about invoices coming due. Four decisions.

1. First, take the rule out of the agent

Someone suggested a "checking agent" to review Hora's orders. But checking list price, discount ceiling, amounts above R$ 5 mil and customer records is a fixed rule: the same input always gives the same answer.

That goes into the order tool, as Rafael already did after lesson 3. An agent to do math is cost and risk for no reason.

DecisionOrder checking: a rule in the tool, not an agent.

03Templates to copy

One page for the whole team and one contract for each arrow.

Team design (1 page)
TEAM DESIGN · process: <from where to where> · owner: <name> · version <1.0>

TEAM RESULT (1 sentence): <what will be true>

PARTS (one line each; type = rule in the tool | agent | person)
| Part | Type | Why it exists separately (signal) | Permissions | Sheet/constitution/matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <request check> | rule | <fixed answer> | - | - |
| <agent 1> | agent | <reason> | <read/write what> | <links> |
| <agent 2> | agent | <desk overload / permissions / check> | <...> | <links> |
| <person> | person | <decides yellow and red> | - | - |

ORDER: series <which steps> · parallel <which steps, preferably automation>
SUPERVISOR: <agent or person> · does NOT expand anyone's permissions
HUMAN CHECKPOINTS: <yellow/red actions and who approves>

TEAM LIMITS
- Attempts per task: <n> · send-backs between agents: <n>, then <person>
- Deadline per step: <...>
- Monthly budget: <amount> · alert at <%> to <name>
TEAM OFF SWITCH: <what stops everyone at once> · who: <names>
Handoff contract between agents
HANDOFF CONTRACT · <agent A> → <agent B> · version <1.0>

TRIGGER: <event that starts the handoff>
WHAT PASSES (only what is needed): <fields>
WHAT DOES NOT PASS: <data that stays with A>
EVIDENCE ATTACHED: <record of what A did, with the case identifier>
B MUST: <what B delivers and by when>
B MUST NOT: <actions forbidden to B in this case>
IF DATA IS MISSING: B sends it back to A once, with the reason; on the 2nd time, it goes to <person>
LIMIT: <n> attempts · deadline <time> · maximum cost per case <estimated amount>
PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HANDOFF: <name>
RECORD: every handoff creates one line (date, case, from, to, what it was, result)
Simulation: illustrative example

Horizonte, fictional study company · owners: Patrícia (sales) and finance (collections).

  • Order check · rule in the tool: price, cap, amount, customer record.
  • Hora · sales agent · logs restock orders.
  • Collections agent · kept separate because of the permissions signal: reads accounts receivable, sends an approved reminder; never renegotiates.
  • People · Patrícia approves orders above R$ 5 mil and discounts from 5% to 10%; finance decides renegotiation.
  • Series: order → approval → picking → invoicing → reminder. Parallel: reminders for different invoices, as an automatic routine.

04Practice

Draw Horizonte's team, then yours. This is on paper: no new agent gets turned on today.

1 · The team from order to collections

30 min

With the model, draw the team for Horizonte's process, from the WhatsApp order to the collections reminder. For each piece, say whether it is a rule, an agent or a person, and why. Write the handoff contract from Hora to the collections agent without looking at the example; then compare.

Done when: the drawing has at least one piece you decided is NOT an agent, each agent has the signal that justifies it existing separately, the handoff contract states what passes and what does not, and there are limits on attempts, send-backs, deadline and budget.

2 · Your team, or your agent on its own

25 min

Take your process and climb the ladder: which parts are fixed steps? Is one agent enough? Does any of the three signals show up? If so, draw the team and write the contract for one handoff. If not, write in two lines why one agent is enough for now.

Done when: you have the decision in writing (one agent or a team) with the signal that justifies it, and, if it is a team, the drawing and a handoff contract with limits.

05Quick quiz

4 questions. The explanation appears after your attempt.

Question 1 of 4

Who should check whether the discount goes over 5% and whether the order goes over R$ 5 mil?

06Summary

A rule is not an agentWhatever has a fixed answer goes into the tool.
Three signalsThe desk that overflows, different permissions, independent check. Without them, one agent is enough.
A contract on every arrowTrigger, what passes and what does not, prohibitions, deadline, send-back.
Team limitsAttempts, send-backs, deadline, budget and one button that stops everyone.

Go further

Execution Architect: parallel × sequentialSuper-Agents in practice: teams of agentsAgent Architect Kit: orchestration chain
Previous lessonNext lesson