Agent orchestration

Not the same as workflow orchestration

Sequencing fixed steps is workflow automation, and a flowchart does it better. Orchestrating agents means coordinating parties that each decide what to do next, which is a different and harder problem.

The two handoff shapes

Delegation: a parent hands a task to a nested specialist, which runs in its own context and reports back. Peer messaging: one full agent asks another and waits for a reply.

Where it fails

Loops, duplicated work, silent handoff failure, gaps between responsibilities, and the one-node team where a single agent quietly does everything. Most are visibility problems before they are logic problems.