Workflow Patterns
Workflows define how agents coordinate to accomplish complex tasks. The healing swarm uses several patterns to balance speed, quality, and safety.
Core Patterns
1. Parallel Execution
When to use:
- Research from independent sources
- Content creation for different pieces
- Quality review by different specialists
Structure:
Start
|
+---+---+
| | |
A B C
| | |
+---+---+
|
Synthesis
Benefits:
- Faster execution
- Independent verification
- Diverse perspectives
Example:
stage: research
execution: parallel
agents:
- traditions-scholar
- clinical-researcher
- mechanisms-neuroscientist
outputs:
- traditions-research.md
- clinical-evidence.md
- mechanism-bridges.md
synthesis: research-brief.md
2. Sequential Execution
When to use:
- Each stage depends on previous
- Build on prior outputs
- Linear dependencies
Structure:
A → B → C → D
Benefits:
- Clear dependencies
- Incremental validation
- Quality gates between stages
Example:
stages:
- name: research
agent: research-swarm
output: research-brief.md
- name: design
agent: ux-architect
requires: research-brief.md
output: ux-specification.md
- name: content
agent: content-writer
requires: ux-specification.md
output: content/
3. Review Pattern
When to use:
- Multiple quality perspectives needed
- Independent verification required
- Consensus-based approval
Structure:
Content
|
+----+----+
| | |
E C A
| | |
+----+----+
|
Synthesis
Benefits:
- Multiple quality lenses
- Independent review
- Comprehensive coverage
Example:
stage: quality-review
execution: parallel
agents:
- ethics-guardian
- clinical-reviewer
- cultural-reviewer
- accessibility-auditor
target: content/
outputs:
- ethics-review.md
- clinical-review.md
- cultural-review.md
- accessibility-review.md
synthesis: review-report.md
approval: all-must-pass
4. Conditional Pattern
When to use:
- Different paths based on results
- Fix-and-retry workflows
- Escalation scenarios
Structure:
Process
|
Review
/ \
Pass Fail
| |
Output Fix → Review
Example:
stage: review-and-fix
steps:
- review: quality-check
- condition: review.status
if_pass:
- deploy
if_fail:
- fix-issues
- review-again
if_critical:
- block
- escalate
Complete Workflows
Full Healing App Development
workflow: healing-app-full-cycle
stages:
- name: intake
agent: orchestrator
execution: sequential
output: project-specification.yaml
- name: research
execution: parallel
agents:
- traditions-scholar
- clinical-researcher
- mechanisms-neuroscientist
synthesis: research-brief.md
- name: design
execution: sequential
agents:
- ux-architect
- visual-designer
requires: research-brief.md
output: design-specifications/
- name: content-creation
execution: parallel
agent: content-writer
requires: design-specifications/
outputs:
- meditations/
- prayers/
- evidence-boxes/
- name: build
execution: sequential
agent: app-developer
requires:
- design-specifications/
- content/
output: app/
- name: quality-review
execution: parallel
agents:
- ethics-guardian
- clinical-reviewer
- cultural-reviewer
- accessibility-auditor
target: [content/, app/]
synthesis: review-report.md
- name: fix-issues
condition: quality-review.has-issues
execution: sequential
agents:
- content-writer (if content issues)
- app-developer (if app issues)
- name: re-review
condition: fix-issues.completed
execution: parallel
agents: [same as quality-review]
- name: deploy
condition: all-reviews-pass
execution: sequential
agents:
- devops-specialist
- content-manager
Quick Content Creation
workflow: quick-content
stages:
- name: research
execution: parallel
depth: quick
agents:
- traditions-scholar
- clinical-researcher
synthesis: research-summary.md
- name: content
agent: content-writer
requires: research-summary.md
output: content.md
- name: ethics-review
agent: ethics-guardian
target: content.md
output: ethics-approval.md
- name: output
condition: ethics-review.pass
output: final-content.md
Stage Types
Intake Stage
Purpose: Parse and validate input
Characteristics:
- Single agent (orchestrator)
- Sequential execution
- Validation gates
Output:
project:
name: "Healing App"
focus: "stress relief"
traditions: ["Vedic", "TCM"]
users: ["stressed individual"]
validation:
- focus_valid: true
- traditions_recognized: true
- scope_reasonable: true
Parallel Stage
Purpose: Independent work
Characteristics:
- Multiple agents
- No dependencies between agents
- Outputs merged after completion
Coordination:
parallel_stage:
agents: [A, B, C]
timeout: 5m
merge_strategy: combine-all
failure_handling: continue-others
Sequential Stage
Purpose: Dependent work
Characteristics:
- One agent at a time
- Each depends on previous
- Quality gates between
Coordination:
sequential_stage:
steps:
- agent: A
output: artifact-1
- agent: B
requires: artifact-1
output: artifact-2
- agent: C
requires: artifact-2
output: artifact-3
Review Stage
Purpose: Quality assurance
Characteristics:
- Parallel reviewers
- Independent perspectives
- Approval required
Coordination:
review_stage:
reviewers: [E, C, A, Access]
approval_mode: all-must-pass
critical_blocks: true
synthesis: review-report.md
Quality Gates
Quality gates are checkpoints between stages:
Stage A
|
[GATE]
|
Stage B
Gate Types
Input Validation:
- Checks before processing
- Verifies prerequisites met
- Validates input format
Process Quality:
- Checks during execution
- Monitors agent behavior
- Enforces guardrails
Output Review:
- Checks after completion
- Validates output quality
- Ethics verification
Gate Enforcement
Blocking Gates:
gate:
type: blocking
checks:
- ethics_guardrails_loaded: required
- medical_disclaimer_present: required
- no_cure_claims: required
on_fail: block-immediately
Warning Gates:
gate:
type: warning
checks:
- reading_level: target-6th-grade
- cultural_attribution: complete
on_fail: warn-continue
Error Handling
Failure Modes
Agent Failure:
on_agent_failure:
retry: 3-times
backoff: exponential
fallback: human-escalation
Validation Failure:
on_validation_failure:
severity_critical: block-immediately
severity_high: require-fix
severity_medium: warn-continue
Timeout:
on_timeout:
action: save-partial-results
notify: orchestrator
escalate: human-review
Best Practices
Workflow Design
- Parallel When Possible - Speed up independent work
- Gate Between Dependencies - Enforce quality
- Clear Failure Modes - Handle errors gracefully
- Document Dependencies - Make requirements explicit
Execution
- Monitor Progress - Track stage completion
- Capture Outputs - Save intermediate results
- Log Decisions - Record why paths chosen
- Enable Rollback - Support undo when needed
Quality
- Review Early - Catch issues fast
- Review Often - Multiple checkpoints
- Review Independently - Parallel reviewers
- Block When Necessary - Safety first
"Workflows coordinate agents. Gates ensure quality. Patterns enable scale."