Start with the business result
Long-running agent systems can coordinate tools and continue work across a session, as OpenAI described in its September 10 Agents API announcement. That capability makes it easier to automate multi-step work, but it can also preserve an old process step by step. The announcement does not establish that every existing handoff needs an agent.
If several people or systems pass the same information around, an agent can make each handoff faster while keeping the overall process intact. The owner’s first question should be whether every handoff is still needed to produce the result the customer or employee actually needs.
Who can use this approach
This review is useful before buying or building an agent workflow, especially when a process has repeated summaries, re-entry, approvals, or status updates. It is not a reason to remove controls that protect accuracy, authorization, or customer commitments. Keep required business rules visible.
Map one path from request to completed outcome. Ask the people who own each step why it exists. Some steps may prevent errors or create an audit record. Others may only compensate for systems that could not share data at the time.
Why removing work can help
Every additional handoff can introduce delay, missing information, and version drift. It can also create more model calls and tool operations if an agent is asked to reconstruct context that already exists elsewhere. A shorter, well-defined route may reduce both operational effort and system complexity.
Do not promise a percentage of token or labor savings without measuring the current process and the redesigned one. The result depends on how often the process runs, how much review remains, and whether the eliminated step served a necessary control purpose.
ShepBuild analysis
Separate required outcomes from inherited activities. For a quote workflow, the requirements might be an authorized price, a durable record, and a clear question when information is missing. The internal summaries and duplicate entries are candidates for review, not automatic deletions.
After simplifying the path, match each remaining task with the simplest method that meets its quality bar. A deterministic rule or existing system may handle settled facts. Use a model for interpreting language or finding relevant information, then validate consequential values against the authoritative system.
Practical next step
Choose one workflow and draw its current steps, systems, owners, and approvals. Mark which step creates customer value, which captures required evidence, and which only transfers information. Ask the business owner to approve any proposed deletion before changing the workflow.
Pilot the shorter path in draft mode. Record completion time, exceptions, repairs, customer wait, and any control failures. If the new route removes busywork without weakening a necessary approval, you have a stronger basis for deciding where agents belong.
A useful baseline is more than elapsed time. Count the number of transfers, how often information must be re-entered, how many exceptions require a person, and where the final answer is recorded. These observations help separate genuine process improvement from faster activity that leaves the same bottleneck in place. Keep the measurement period and task mix consistent when comparing the old route with the pilot, and document any control that the redesigned process preserves.