Explain like I'm five · AI

What is a Workflow?

LLM workflows, told as a story about an order chart a person writes ahead of time, where the parrot does one thing per box.

translate, summarize, and make a tableMONDAYtable → summaryno translationTUESDAYsummary → translatehalf a tablesame request, different resulthand it all over at once and the result wobbles every time

Every day the parrot is told to translate, summarize, and make a table. The result wobbles.Monday the translation is missing; Tuesday the table is half done. Same request — why different?

ONE NOTEtranslatesummarizetableit picks the order itselftranslate → summarize → table ✓summarize → table · no translate ×table → translate → table again ×a different path every timeask for everything at once and the parrot picks a new path each time

Because when you ask for everything at once, the parrot picks the order itself. And that changes every time.With three jobs on one note, the parrot picks a new path every time. Some days it skips one.

a person sets the orderNOTENOTENOTE1. TRANSLATEtranslate only✓2. SUMMARIZEsummarize only✓3. TABLEtable onlyTABLE✓ always sameone note and one job per box — a check between boxesagent: the parrot picks the order · workflow: a person sets it beforehanda workflow is an order chart a person wrote ahead — the parrot does one thing per box

A workflow is an order chart a person writes ahead of time. The parrot does one thing per box.Translate box, summarize box, table box. One note and one job per box. In an agent the parrot picks the order; in a workflow a person does.

One note per stepone job per box
A check between stepsby a person or a machine
Fixed job, use the chartopen job, use an agent
A small parrot is enougheasy boxes, cheap and fast
1. READpull the text✓machine check2. TRANSLATEtranslate only✓person checks3. SUMMARIZEsummarize only✓length check4. TABLEtable onlysmall parrotsmall parrotsmall parrotbig parrota check between boxes — if one is wrong, redo just that boxan easy box needs only a small parrot — cheap and fastrun the same chart and it always takes the same path

Four boxes in a row, a check between each. If one is wrong, redo just that box.Run the same chart and it always takes the same path. An easy box needs only a small parrot — which parrot gets which box is its own story.

translate ✓summarize ✓table ✓for a fixed job, the chart just fitsthe same result every timetranslate ✓picture?…a picture came instead of a table — the chart stopsput an agent box herea chart is weak against surprises — there, put a box that picks its own order

A chart is weak against surprises. There, put in one agent box.Fixed jobs get a chart; open jobs get an agent. When there are many boxes and several parrots, it becomes a parrot meeting.

In one breath

Workflow = an order chart a person writes ahead. The parrot does one thing per box, with a check between boxes. Fixed jobs get a chart; open jobs get an agent.

A fixed sequence of LLM calls (prompt chaining, pipelines) laid out by a person. Each step has one prompt and a validation step, and execution is deterministic, so it is easy to reproduce and debug. In an agent the model decides the order; in a workflow the code does. Routing small models to easy steps cuts cost.

When grown-ups say it

Workflow
The errand order chart. A person sets the order of steps ahead. The parrot does one thing per box.
Prompt chaining
Notes in a chain. The answer from one box goes into the next box's note.
Pipeline
The straight-line chart. A chart whose boxes run in one straight line. No forks.
Routing
Which parrot gets the box. Easy boxes go to a small parrot. → which parrot to ask
Difference from an agent
Who picks the order. A workflow: the person. An agent: the parrot. → the parrot that plans its own errands
Deterministic execution
Always the same path. Run the same chart and it takes the same path. When it fails, you know which box.
Validation step
The check between boxes. A person or a machine looks. If wrong, redo just that box.
Orchestration
Many boxes, several parrots. Deciding who does what, when. → the parrot meeting
Next story
Teaching the Small Parrot to Copy →
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