Worked scenario · Cross-cutting
Multi-agent orchestrator
T4–T5Baseline tier · Institutional and up
An orchestrating agent that coordinates several specialized agents across a cross-functional workflow, such as onboarding a new student from admission to first day.
The six lenses
| 01 Stakes & audience | Many students or staff; failures cascade across units. |
|---|---|
| 02 Data & reach | Inherits the combined reach of every agent it calls. |
| 03 Autonomy & authority | Plans and triggers actions across systems. |
| 04 Accountability & ownership | Requires an executive sponsor and named owners for each sub-agent. |
| 05 Verification & monitoring | End-to-end tracing across agents; agent-to-agent trust boundaries. |
| 06 Lifespan & scale | Durable, institution-wide. |
The institution provides
- Orchestration platform with tracing
- Agent registry and identity for each agent
- Independent review and red-teaming
- Institution-wide kill switch
The owner answers for
- Defining what each sub-agent may do and for whom
- Failure handling when one agent is unavailable or wrong
- Clear human checkpoints in the workflow
Failure modes to watch
- Privilege escalation through agent chaining
- No one able to explain an outcome end to end
- Errors in one unit propagating to others