This is not an article about managing Ari Gold.

Agentic AI. You hear the term everywhere, bombarded by tools claiming to automate everything from your inbox to autonomous procure-to-pay processes. As you look to leverage these tools, you must properly prepare for their governance.

Think of agents as employees. They need a handbook, regular check-ins, and periodic audits. They need peer feedback and defined metrics for success.

Before diving in, your organization should be asking:

• How will you vet them?

• What defines a successful agent?

• What does the onboarding process look like?

• What data should they have access to?

• What are the guardrails for autonomous actions?

• How long is the probation period for manual oversight?

• How often will you audit their work to ensure they remain effective?

• How will you measure that effectiveness?

• What is the protocol for errors, material or otherwise?

• What is the response plan for unintended data access?

• How will they collaborate with other agents and systems?

• How will you off-board them?

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s a solid baseline for your journey. Your agents are part of the team, even if they never complain about the lack of coffee in the break room.

I’d love to hear some agent success stories. Please share!

PS: I regret that several of my previous posts were heavily edited using AI. This post was written entirely by me; AI was used only for grammar and flow.