A practical look at the 2025 dilemma of choosing deterministic workflows or agentic systems when building AI products.
Questions before automating a business process
To apply this topic to your own process, write down one real example from input to completed work. Mark the steps that follow fixed rules, the points that require interpretation and the actions a person must approve.
Then ask what should happen when information is missing, an external system is unavailable or a proposed action is wrong. These boundaries help you assess whether a controlled workflow is sufficient and where greater autonomy would need additional review.
See business process automation for the delivery approach and agentic systems for the technical distinction. If the process or priority is still unclear, a company audit provides a starting point for diagnosis.