Stop Building Org Charts: 5 Rules for Efficient Multi-Agent Workflows
Due_Customer_1129 · reddit · 2026-08-12
The author critiques a common flaw in multi-agent workflow design: structuring systems as "org charts" where agents represent job titles (researcher, analyst, manager) connected by arrows. This approach defines personas but ignores actual data dependencies.
The core argument is that a useful edge in the graph must represent a data dependency. If an agent doesn't need another's output, they should run independently and merge later. The author distills this into five rules for multi-agent graphs:
- Use a single agent for sequential work.
- Split branches only if they can produce evidence independently.
- Add an edge only when downstream work consumes upstream output.
- Keep the skeptic separate from the researchers' framing.
- Prove the graph manually before scheduling.
The post argues that 3 independent researchers and 1 evidence-gated merge can outperform 12 agents arranged like a company.
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