The Automat

Field notes from the bleeding edge of business

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How to Tell if a Process Is Ready to Hand to an Agent

How to Tell if a Process Is Ready to Hand to an Agent

How to Tell if a Process Is Ready to Hand to an AgentDrew Donaldson
Published on: 25/07/2026

An agent readiness assessment scores a process on five signals before you automate it: structure, decision rules, data access, error cost, and volume. Here is the rubric.

Agentic AI & The Harness Races
Giving an Agent a Budget: How to Scope What It's Allowed to Do

Giving an Agent a Budget: How to Scope What It's Allowed to Do

Giving an Agent a Budget: How to Scope What It's Allowed to DoDrew Donaldson
Published on: 16/07/2026

Agent guardrails, made concrete: how to scope an AI agent's authority with allow-lists, spend caps, and escalation rules before you ship.

Agentic AI & The Harness Races
Six Ways Independent Consultants Are Using Agents to Bill Less and Earn More

Six Ways Independent Consultants Are Using Agents to Bill Less and Earn More

Six Ways Independent Consultants Are Using Agents to Bill Less and Earn MoreDrew Donaldson
Published on: 11/07/2026

AI for independent consultants done right: six agent-powered moves to automate billable drudgery, productize delivery, and earn more while billing fewer hours.

Agentic AI & The Harness Races
Making Agents Reliable Enough to Leave Alone

Making Agents Reliable Enough to Leave Alone

Making Agents Reliable Enough to Leave AloneDrew Donaldson
Published on: 07/07/2026

Moving an AI agent from impressive demo to running unsupervised is a measurement problem, not a model one. Here is what eval harnesses, guardrails, and observability actually take.

Agentic AI & The Harness Races