Multi-Agent Orchestration: When One Agent Isn't Enough

Supervisor-Worker Patterns for Complex Workflows

Single-agent architectures work well for focused, domain-specific tasks, but enterprise workflows often span multiple domains and require coordinated action across disparate systems. A supervisor-worker pattern addresses this by introducing a coordinating agent that decomposes complex requests into sub-tasks and delegates each to a specialized worker agent. The supervisor manages the overall workflow state, handles dependencies between sub-tasks, and aggregates results. For example, when processing a department reorganization, the supervisor decomposes the request into HR structure changes, IT access modifications, facility reassignments, and budget reallocations. Each sub-task is delegated to the appropriate specialist agent. The supervisor tracks completion, manages the dependency chain where access changes must follow HR changes, and handles any failures in individual sub-tasks without abandoning the entire workflow.

Agent Specialization: Domain Experts That Collaborate

Specialization is an architectural option. A specialist can have a limited tool set, curated sources, and instructions for one domain. HR, IT, and finance workflows may benefit from different permissions and evaluation sets. Do not assume a specialist is smaller, faster, or more accurate than a generalist; compare both designs on representative tasks. When specialists coordinate, exchange the minimum context needed, authenticate every delegation, and record ownership and status without exposing unrelated data.