Designing an Agent Project
A well-designed agent project starts with understanding the problem, defining boundaries, and mapping out architecture before writing a single line of code.
Project Design Process
Step 1: Problem Statement
Write a one-paragraph description of the problem the agent solves. Be specific about what it does and what it does not do.
Step 2: Success Criteria
Define what success looks like. Write 3-5 measurable criteria (e.g., 'Successfully resolves 80% of customer refund requests without human escalation').
Step 3: Scope and Boundaries
What is inside scope? What is explicitly out of scope? What user actions trigger the agent? What does the agent never do autonomously?
Step 4: Architecture Decision
Single agent or multi-agent? Which tools are needed? Which APIs will be used? What state does the agent need?
Step 5: Risk Assessment
What could go wrong? What are the worst-case failure scenarios? How are they mitigated?
Step 6: Build Plan
Break the build into milestones. What is the minimum viable version? What features can be added in later iterations?