Mauricio Tapia.
Course index

Chapter 08 / 14 · Design execution

Build an AI workflow

A useful process connects inputs, decisions, owners and evidence of completion.

Reading: 3 min · Suggested practice: 15–25 min

By the end of this chapter

Design a repeatable workflow with controls, exceptions and an operational output.

In this chapter

From request to process

A workflow specifies its trigger, inputs, steps and completion condition. Describe the current process first. Automation cannot resolve undefined responsibility simply by moving faster.

Weekly commercial review may take opportunities and commitments as inputs and produce a reviewed action list. Completion means classified cases with owners or explicit exceptions, not just generated text.

Rules, interpretation and approval

Use reproducible rules for valid dates, existing IDs and numeric amounts. Use AI for interpreting notes and synthesizing context. Business procedures still govern commercial approvals.

Define stages: receive, validate, interpret, compare, propose, review and record. A stage advances only when its output meets criteria. Missing dates go to completion rather than fabrication.

Exception paths

Handle unreadable files, conflicting evidence, duplicate customers and unavailable tools. Exceptions need a reason and recipient. Generic errors do not tell users what must be resolved.

Separate transient failures from content problems. Retrying reads can be appropriate; retrying writes without checking execution can duplicate actions. Use job identifiers and outcome records.

State and verified closure

Each case should show received, pending, reviewed or recorded status. Tool confirmation supports execution; model statements of intent do not prove a record changed.

Name the owner who maintains rules and reviews failures. Processes deteriorate when sources and requirements change. Start with a bounded workflow and expand based on evaluation.

Worked case

Andina Equipos reads approved records, validates IDs and dates, extracts notes, compares state, proposes actions, obtains manager review and records approved actions only. Conflicting CRM and email data go to source review.

Reports separate proposals from recorded actions. “Contact customer” is not complete when only a draft exists. Require contact evidence or owner confirmation.

Practice instructions

Design weekly follow-up stages with input, output, acceptance criteria and exception owner.
Separate proposal, approval and verified execution.
Handle a tool failure after a possible write.

Your turn

Describe six stages for turning notes into next actions. Add three exceptions and a completion criterion. Identify the field that prevents processing the same notes twice.

Show the commented solution

Receive notes with ID and version, validate, extract, compare, propose and review/record. Unreadable files, conflicts and missing owners go to review. Closure requires every row handled and approved actions recorded or justified as pending. IDs and versions identify duplicates.

Evaluate your work

  • Each stage has acceptance criteria.
  • Exceptions preserve cases.
  • Drafting differs from execution.
  • Completion is verified.

Sources and technical reading

Sources support technical concepts. Business cases, rubrics and practice instructions are teaching proposals developed for this course.

Before moving on

Check your exercise against the criteria. Keep sources and your changes: they will support the final project.

Editorial review: September 29, 2026 · All case examples and figures are fictional. Study times are estimates.