Four questions for 30-minute coordination reviews
During 30-minute coordination reviews, answer four diagnostic questions with evidence: which agents produced output, did outputs reach intended consumers, what was the coordination-to-work time ratio, and where did agents actively interfere.
When This Fires
- During scheduled coordination reviews (weekly or biweekly for active multi-agent systems)
- When the system "isn't producing" but you can't pinpoint why
- When coordination overhead feels high but you need data rather than impressions
- Complements Agent system review is essential maintenance, not optional… (agent system maintenance) with the specific review protocol
Common Failure Mode
Answering questions with impressions rather than evidence: "I think most agents produced output" (impression) vs. "Writing agent: 4 sessions, 2,100 words. Review agent: 0 sessions — didn't fire. Exercise agent: 5 sessions." (evidence). Impressions are systematically biased toward the agents that produced the most recent or most visible output, missing the dead and failing agents that need attention most.
The Protocol
(1) Schedule 30-minute coordination reviews at a regular cadence. (2) Answer four questions with evidence: Q1: Which agents produced output? List each agent and its output for the period. Flag agents with zero output. Q2: Did outputs reach consumers? For each output-producing agent, verify its output was consumed by the intended downstream process. Flag handoff failures. Q3: Coordination-to-work ratio? Sum time spent on coordination (handoffs, sync, deliberation between agents) and divide by total productive time. Compare to budget (Cap coordination at 15-25% of total hours — new…). Q4: Where did agents interfere? Identify instances where one agent's operation actively degraded another's performance. (3) For each finding: assign a specific action (revive, fix handoff, reduce coordination, resolve interference). (4) Track findings across reviews to identify trends.