Define Stage | Swarm Loop | Agentic Swarm

Clarify the goal, constraints, and definition of done.

What it is

Define is where a mission becomes concrete. The swarm states the outcome it is trying to reach, the constraints it must respect, and the signals that will prove the work succeeded. Nothing is routed or executed until the mission is clear enough to act on.

Why it matters

Most failed automation does the wrong thing efficiently. A sharp definition prevents that. When the goal, the guardrails, and the success criteria are explicit, every later stage has a fixed target to coordinate around.

Example

A team asks the swarm to launch a new feature. Define turns that into a mission: ship the announcement, landing page, and email by Friday, stay on brand, and require human sign-off before anything goes public.

Inputs

• A human request or trigger event
• Business context and constraints
• Relevant history retrieved from memory
• Known risks and policy limits

Outputs

• A clear mission statement
• Explicit success criteria
• Constraints and priorities
• An initial read on scope and risk

Failure modes

• Vague goals that cannot be measured
• Hidden constraints that surface late
• Skipping context from past missions
• Confusing activity with the actual outcome