Agentic AI?

We know there’s a risk that this blog post won’t age well, but here goes:

Stop worrying about how you're going to implement "agentic AI" and start here instead.

1. List the simple tasks that can add the most value if they were automated (you know these).
2. Build a simple workflow for one on the back of having mapped the process properly.
3. Add AI to one step.
4. Measure the results for two weeks.
5. Repeat for another step, or several if you can.
5. Only then think about agents (if you can even define what an agent is in your org).

And thinking about the definition, here are some broad categories of automation we're seeing in the real world:

a) Deterministic workflow: When X happens, do Y, then Z. Your classic automation. Lead comes in > send SMS > create CRM record. Boring? Yes. Reliable? Absolutely. Agentic? Not really.
b) AI workflow: Same thing, but with AI doing one step - classification, summarisation, drafting. Still predictable, still manageable.
c) Agentic workflow: Multiple narrow agents working in sequence. Each handles a specific task, hands off to the next. Think relay race, not solo marathon, and think simple process automation, not Skynet.
d) Full agent: The holy grail everyone's selling but nobody's actually delivering. A reasoning system that decides what to do next. Expensive, unreliable, usually unnecessary and sometimes the companies trying to get you to sign-up are selling vapourware.

The mistake most people seem to be making is dropping an unknown/unpredictable amount of money on building for “agentic AI platforms” before they’ve even automated their expense reports. It’s like buying a Ferrari to learn to drive. In central London. During roadworks.

What actually works? Start boringly small. I know, not what the board wants to hear. But...

Agent platforms = £1m+ with a 6-12 month delivery and 30% success rate.
Workflow-first = £50-100k, 2-4 week cycles, 80% success rate.
And the smaller projects usually deliver more value because they solve real problems.

A workflow that handles your inbox triage isn’t less advanced than an “agent” - it’s better, because it actually works. Reliably. Every day. Without torching your Azure credits.

Vendors know this. They’re selling tomorrow’s promise at today’s prices. Meanwhile, the smart money is quietly automating the dull stuff that compounds value week by week.