Your First Delegation
Module 3, Multi-Agent & Delegation | Essay 3 of 7
The simplest form of multi-agent work is two agents: one that produces something, and one that does something with it.
A researcher and a writer. A drafter and a reviewer. A planner and an executor. Two focused conversations, one clean handoff between them. That's enough to feel the difference.
Here's what a first delegation actually looks like.
You start with the first agent. Give it a clear, focused brief: "I need research on [topic]. I'm looking for [specific angle]. The research will be used to write [specific output] for [specific audience]." The context at the end matters, knowing the destination shapes what the researcher surfaces.
The first agent produces its output. You read it. Not to evaluate whether it's perfect, but to understand what you now have to work with. Summarize it in your own words if it helps.
Then you start a second conversation with a second agent. This is the handoff. You give it the research output as context, a clear brief on what to produce, and any specific instructions about format, tone or length. "Here's the research. Based on this, write a [specific output]. The audience is [who]. Keep it under [length]. Lead with [what matters most]."
The second agent produces the draft. It's better than if you'd asked one agent to do both, because the researcher wasn't trying to write, and the writer wasn't trying to research. Each had one job.
A few things that make first delegations go well:
Don't skip the brief on the first agent. The quality of the handoff material depends on how well you set up the first task.
Read the handoff material before passing it on. You're the judgment layer between agents. If the research went off track, correct it before it becomes the foundation of the draft.
Be specific in the second brief. The second agent is working from someone else's output. It needs more direction than if you were building from scratch together.
That's it. Two agents, one handoff. Try it once and the pattern clicks.
Pod Exercise: Run a two-agent workflow in your practice pod. First agent: research a topic relevant to your work. You review the output. Second agent: use that research to produce a specific deliverable with a clear brief. Compare the result to what you'd get from a single prompt asking for both.