Planning
Also known as: planning step · task decomposition
Planning is an agent decomposing a goal into a sequence of steps before it starts acting — deciding what to do, in what order, and what each step needs.
It’s the difference between:
- No plan: thrash, backtrack, repeat.
- With a plan: a coherent sequence that reaches the goal.
Good planning also allows replanning when a step fails or the world changes.
The multiplier: planning is what turns a bunch of tool calls into *progress*. Without it, an agent is a talented hamster on a wheel.