Complex tasks benefit from a plan. Planning helps agents stay on track, avoid missed steps and explain what they're doing.
Planning Approaches
- Implicit planning: capable models plan internally as they go; for many tasks this is enough.
- Explicit plans: the agent writes a plan or to-do list first, then works through it, updating status.
- Plan and approve: the agent proposes a plan for a person to review before acting — useful for large or risky changes.
To-Do Lists
A simple list of tasks with statuses, kept in context or a file, helps agents on long tasks remember what's done and what's left, even after compaction.
Adapt the Plan
Plans should change as the agent learns: new information, failed approaches and discovered sub-tasks. Rigid adherence to an initial plan causes problems.
Right-Size the Planning
Small tasks don't need formal plans. Over-planning wastes time and tokens.
Plans as Communication
Plans let people understand and redirect agents early, before effort is wasted on the wrong approach.
Evaluate
Check whether explicit planning improves results on your tasks; it doesn't always.