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AI Architectures · Agentic SystemsRomain Bourbon
VisionPrinciplesSystemsAGT/HITLJourney
Helix Labs
Journey

The journey
of designing
an agentic
system

A six-step method to design, govern, deploy, and operate autonomous AI systems aligned with human goals.

01

Frame the initiative

Strategy & vision

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01Strategy & vision

Frame the initiative

Define the scope, strategic objectives, and constraints of the agentic system. This foundational phase sets the direction for the entire design.

Objectives
  • Align stakeholders on the desired level of autonomy
  • Identify risks and regulatory constraints
  • Define measurable success criteria
Deliverables
  • Strategic brief and system scope
  • Stakeholder and objectives map
  • Risk / benefit / constraint matrix
Stakeholders
  • Executive leadership
  • System architects
  • Business owners
02

Define roles and governance

HITL & accountability

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02HITL & accountability

Define roles and governance

Structure human responsibilities, control mechanisms, and HITL loops. Governance is the foundation of every reliable agentic system.

Objectives
  • Define Human-In-The-Loop loops for every critical action
  • Create the RACI matrix for AI / human decisions
  • Establish escalation and override protocols
Deliverables
  • Agentic governance charter
  • RACI matrix and access policies
  • Formalized HITL protocols
Stakeholders
  • CISO
  • DPO
  • Operations managers
  • Compliance
03

Design the agent

Architecture & design

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03Architecture & design

Design the agent

Define the functional architecture, agentic patterns, and tooling. Design determines the system's ability to operate autonomously and reliably.

Objectives
  • Model the agent's capabilities and limits
  • Choose agentic patterns suited to the context
  • Design tools, memory, and interfaces
Deliverables
  • Agentic architecture diagram
  • Detailed functional specifications
  • Tooling and memory plan
Stakeholders
  • AI architects
  • Product managers
  • UX / UI designers
04

Build and integrate

Implementation & pipelines

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04Implementation & pipelines

Build and integrate

Implement agent components, connect tools, and integrate existing systems into robust, maintainable pipelines.

Objectives
  • Develop components according to specifications
  • Connect APIs and data sources
  • Set up agentic CI/CD pipelines
Deliverables
  • Versioned, documented source code
  • Unit and integration tests
  • Complete technical documentation
Stakeholders
  • AI developers
  • DevOps / MLOps
  • Systems integrators
05

Validate (AGT & HITL)

Testing & compliance

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05Testing & compliance

Validate (AGT & HITL)

Test reliability, alignment, and governability. Validation ensures the agent behaves as expected under all conditions.

Objectives
  • Validate behavior in nominal and adversarial cases
  • Test HITL loops and override mechanisms
  • Audit regulatory and ethical compliance
Deliverables
  • Testing and validation report
  • AGT compliance certificate
  • Monitoring and alerting plan
Stakeholders
  • QA engineers
  • Compliance officers
  • Business supervisors
06

Deploy and operate

Production & run

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06Production & run

Deploy and operate

Move to production and keep the system operational. Deployment marks the start of continuous, supervised, evolving operations.

Objectives
  • Plan and execute progressive rollout
  • Monitor performance and behavior in production
  • Manage incidents and continuous improvement
Deliverables
  • Release notes and deployment plan
  • Operational runbooks
  • Supervision dashboards
Stakeholders
  • Ops team
  • User support
  • Product owners