Human-in-the-Loop / Approval Gates
Defining where the gates sit is the organizational design of the Cognitive Enterprise.
In one sentence
Points in the flow where a human approves before the agent proceeds. Defining where the gates sit is the organizational design of the Cognitive Enterprise: each gate is a decision about trust and risk.
Before
Agent completed the task
What it does
Human approves at this point
After
Proceeds, or goes back for adjustment
Example
Three gates in correspondence: approval before the first send for each new child, approval for any letter the checker has rejected once, and no gate for renewal letters that passed cleanly.
Where each gate sits is a risk decision, and that decision, more than the technology, defines how much the operation can scale.
In practice
- Put a gate only where there is risk. When there is a gate on everything, approval becomes an automatic rubber stamp.
- Each gate needs a named owner and a deadline. Without a deadline, the gate becomes a queue.
- Measure wait time. A gate that delays more value than it protects should be removed.
How to make it tangible
Mark the approval points in the flow and implement a real stop, so the agent cannot continue without approval.
Translated from Portuguese with AI assistance.