Research
Separating investigation from execution prevents the agent from building on a wrong assumption.
In one sentence
A deliberate investigation phase before acting: the agent gathers context, reads docs, maps the existing code, and studies alternatives. Separating research from execution prevents the agent from building on wrong assumptions.
Before
Request comes in
What it does
Gather context before acting
After
Execution based on verified assumptions
Example
Before changing the letter generator, there is an investigation-only phase: how it works today, what the report includes, which policies apply, what has already been tried and failed.
Only then does implementation begin. Those who skip this phase usually deliver a well-built solution to the wrong problem.
In practice
- Declare the phase. “I’ll research first” without a deliverable becomes procrastination.
- Deliver a short findings document, including what was ruled out and why.
- If the research did not change any assumption, either the problem was simple or the research was shallow.
How to make it tangible
A phase declared at the start of each work item, with a findings document before any code.
Connects with
Translated from Portuguese with AI assistance.