Introduction
A structured consensus workflow contains several stages.
Stage 1: Define the Question
The parent agent receives a single problem, decision, or ideation request. The request should still have a clear scope. Multi-agent analysis does not compensate for a completely undefined objective.
Stage 2: Choose the Number of Agents
The system spawns a selected number of subagents. A small problem may use three to five. A broader strategic problem may use ten or more.
Stage 3: Create Framing Variations
Every agent receives the same core problem but a different analytical lens. Examples include:
- Take a conservative view.
- Assume limited time and budget.
- Focus only on what is measurable and provable.
- Analyze from the end-user perspective.
- Search for operational causes.
- Focus on risks and failure modes.
- Look for unconventional or high-variance ideas.
These variations encourage the agents to explore different areas rather than returning nearly identical answers.
Stage 4: Run the Agents Independently
Each subagent operates in its own context. It does not see the reasoning of the others. This independence matters because early answers should not anchor later agents.
Stage 5: Report to the Parent
The agents return their analyses to the orchestrator.
Stage 6: Aggregate
The parent identifies repeated ideas, ranks frequency, examines the spread, and may calculate values such as the mode and median as part of the aggregation process.
Stage 7: Classify the Results
The synthesis separates consensus, divergent ideas, and outliers.
Stage 8: Produce a Decision Map
The final report explains which conclusions appeared repeatedly, which were disputed, which appeared rarely, and what should be tested or examined next.