Glossary
The four buckets
What are the four buckets?
The four buckets are a way to sort every step of a workflow before automating it: delete it, run it as plain code, give it to an agent, or keep a person on it.
Also called: Delete, plain code, agent, human
Why it matters
Sorting first stops teams from using an expensive, less predictable agent where a rule would do, or from automating a step that shouldn’t exist at all. Forward-deployed engineering teams such as Varick Agents work this way.
Example
Of the 20 steps in a weekly revenue review, nine are deleted, five become plain code, four go to an agent, and two stay with people.
Learn more
Guide · DecideWhen to use an AI agent: sort every step into four bucketsDelete, plain code, agent or human: a decision tree for every step, with real data and a worked example.Guide · DecideBuild vs. buy AI agents: when to build, buy or foregoBuild, buy or forego: the criteria, the full cost of each path, and a worked example.Guide · SeeHow to find where AI belongs: AI discovery vs. consultants vs. process miningSix ways to find AI opportunities compared, and how to rank what you find by value and readiness.