Agent Architecture Decision Ladder
Make the architecture choice a deliberate climb up a four-step ladder, backed by evidence, picking the lowest step that solves the task, instead of defaulting to an autonomous multi-agent system.
Description
Pick the agent architecture from a four-step ladder. The steps are: a plain model call, a single agent, a fixed multi-agent workflow, and an autonomous multi-agent system. Pick the lowest step that solves the task. This forces a choice you can defend, instead of jumping straight to an autonomous multi-agent system out of habit. Treat architecture as a cost-versus-benefit call, with clear criteria at each step.
When to apply
Use this at project kickoff, before any architecture is built, and again at every big capability change that might push you up a step. Don't apply it when the architecture is fixed for you, such as a vendor mandate or an existing framework that already locks the step. Skip it too when the team has no habit of measurement. Without evals to compare steps, the ladder is just opinion.
What it involves
- Profile the task on the ladder dimensions
- Step 1 — plain model call
- Step 2 — single agent
- Step 3 — deterministic multi-agent workflow
- Step 4 — autonomous multi-agent system
- Document the decision and escalation triggers
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Diagram, neighbourhood map, code examples, related patterns and full provenance.