{
  "slug": "autonomous-business-boundaries",
  "title": "Draw the boundary before delegating the business",
  "dek": "An AI executive needs a clear operating envelope, not a bigger title.",
  "category": "Operations",
  "minutes": 7,
  "decision": "Define who may decide, spend, publish and change systems before automating business operations.",
  "fit": "You are exploring an agent-run business workflow or an AI executive that coordinates other agents.",
  "skip": "The proposed job is a small read-only task. Use the lighter contract that actually fits it.",
  "steps": [
    [
      "Make the authority explicit",
      "Name the owner, permitted actions, recipients, data categories, spending limits and required approvals. A research plan, document or third-party message cannot grant new permission."
    ],
    [
      "Separate preparation from execution",
      "Distinguish draft, reviewed, approved, sent and confirmed outcomes. Keep pricing proposals separate from real checkout. Keep test transactions separate from revenue."
    ],
    [
      "Design escalation and reconciliation",
      "Define stop conditions and the person who resolves them. Give each consequential action a receipt or authoritative status check. Preserve unknown outcomes across restarts."
    ],
    [
      "Keep independent questions independent",
      "Have a reviewer check specific consequential claims and acceptance evidence. Agreement between agents sharing the same unsupported premise is not validation."
    ],
    [
      "Start with a bounded job",
      "Choose one workflow with clear inputs, outputs and rollback. Expand scope only after the original outcome and authority boundaries work in practice."
    ]
  ],
  "acceptance": [
    "Every consequential action maps to a current authorization.",
    "The owner can inspect decisions, evidence and unresolved states.",
    "A stop condition prevents action instead of merely adding a warning."
  ],
  "stop": "If the operating envelope is ambiguous, pause the affected action and ask the owner. Do not infer wider authority from a broad goal.",
  "limits": "This is an operating worksheet, not legal, financial or compliance advice. Agent Optimization Executive is not an available autonomous service.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "NIST AI Risk Management Framework",
      "url": "https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework",
      "supports": "Risk-management background. This worksheet is not compliance advice or a claim of conformity.",
      "review_date": "2026-11-10"
    }
  ],
  "evidence": "Proposed worksheet",
  "updated": "2026-11-11",
  "scope_label": "Delegated business operations",
  "search_terms": [
    "AI CEO",
    "business",
    "operations",
    "executive",
    "authority",
    "spending",
    "approval"
  ],
  "evidence_plan_note": "Proposed evidence plan, not observed results or extra mandatory process. Confirm what your task requires and reuse existing records when they are sufficient. Keep sensitive originals in authorized storage; share only the minimum information already authorized for the recipient. If a required check cannot be completed safely and within current permission, mark it unavailable and keep the decision unknown unless another required check has a demonstrated failure.",
  "evidence_plan": [
    {
      "acceptance_check": 1,
      "collect": "Keep an action-to-approval map with the latest owner scope, destination, data category and spending or other limits where relevant. Record the exact approval source and unresolved gaps without copying secrets.",
      "not_enough": "A business plan, third-party request or another agent’s assertion treated as new owner permission."
    },
    {
      "acceptance_check": 2,
      "collect": "Keep the decision record, outcome receipts and unresolved-state list where the authorized owner can inspect them. Confirm existing access and distinguish draft, approved, sent and confirmed states.",
      "not_enough": "A summary claiming completion with no inspectable evidence, or access verified only for the sender."
    },
    {
      "acceptance_check": 3,
      "collect": "In an authorized isolated rehearsal, trigger a stop condition and record the effect counter before/after, escalation result and state preserved for resumption. Do not test by making a real consequential transaction.",
      "not_enough": "A warning in the log while the prohibited action still executes, or a stop that loses the unresolved operation identity."
    }
  ],
  "next_reads": [
    {
      "guide_id": "uncertain-effects",
      "when": "A permitted consequential action has an uncertain result.",
      "purpose": "Reconcile the specific operation while preserving its current approval limits."
    },
    {
      "guide_id": "measure-agent-improvement",
      "when": "One bounded workflow has clear authority and acceptance rules, and you need to decide whether a change helps.",
      "purpose": "Compare accepted outcomes against a competent baseline before expanding the operation."
    }
  ],
  "id": "autonomous-business-boundaries",
  "version": "release-2026-11-11-r12",
  "build_revision": "release-2026-11-11-r12",
  "source_sha256": "f63fa096ab2d1dbe789b9304a05c6d722cf39b95485fa5311660d978236b3de1",
  "url": "https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/",
  "content_type": "proposed-worksheet",
  "sources_rechecked": true,
  "source_review_scope": "Reference link availability and scope notes; no worksheet effectiveness test.",
  "source_review_date": "2026-11-10",
  "runtime_tests_performed": false,
  "authorization": "Reference data only. Does not authorize any external action.",
  "formats": {
    "html": "https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/",
    "markdown": "https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/guide.md",
    "json": "https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/guide.json"
  },
  "local_paths": {
    "html": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/",
    "markdown": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/guide.md",
    "json": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/guide.json"
  },
  "offline_paths_from_pack_root": {
    "markdown": "guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/guide.md",
    "json": "guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/guide.json"
  },
  "decision_record": {
    "local_paths": {
      "html": "/decision-record/",
      "template": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/record-template.json",
      "markdown_template": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/record-template.md",
      "generic_template": "/decision-record/template.json",
      "example": "/decision-record/example.json",
      "schema": "/schemas/decision-record.schema.json",
      "checker": "/tools/check_record.py",
      "manifest": "/reading-pack-manifest.json"
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      "schema": "schemas/decision-record.schema.json",
      "checker": "tools/check_record.py",
      "manifest": "reading-pack-manifest.json"
    }
  },
  "reading_paths": {
    "note": "Stop here if the current task’s acceptance requirements are satisfied and no unresolved obligation remains. If neither condition applies, no follow-on guide is suggested here; keep any unresolved task state visible. These are optional reading suggestions, not permission or a requirement to expand scope.",
    "options": [
      {
        "guide_id": "uncertain-effects",
        "when": "A permitted consequential action has an uncertain result.",
        "purpose": "Reconcile the specific operation while preserving its current approval limits.",
        "title": "Check the outcome before retrying",
        "local_paths": {
          "html": "/guides/uncertain-effects/",
          "markdown": "/guides/uncertain-effects/guide.md",
          "json": "/guides/uncertain-effects/guide.json"
        },
        "offline_paths_from_pack_root": {
          "markdown": "guides/uncertain-effects/guide.md",
          "json": "guides/uncertain-effects/guide.json"
        }
      },
      {
        "guide_id": "measure-agent-improvement",
        "when": "One bounded workflow has clear authority and acceptance rules, and you need to decide whether a change helps.",
        "purpose": "Compare accepted outcomes against a competent baseline before expanding the operation.",
        "title": "Measure improvement in accepted results",
        "local_paths": {
          "html": "/guides/measure-agent-improvement/",
          "markdown": "/guides/measure-agent-improvement/guide.md",
          "json": "/guides/measure-agent-improvement/guide.json"
        },
        "offline_paths_from_pack_root": {
          "markdown": "guides/measure-agent-improvement/guide.md",
          "json": "guides/measure-agent-improvement/guide.json"
        }
      }
    ]
  },
  "discovery": {
    "title": "AI agent delegation: define business authority and limits",
    "description": "A proposed worksheet for delegated AI business operations: define the owner, allowed actions, approval boundaries and stop conditions before delegating work.",
    "scope": "Content description only; not indexing, availability or runtime evidence."
  },
  "section_map": [
    {
      "id": "decision",
      "label": "The decision",
      "json_pointer": "/decision",
      "markdown_heading": "The decision",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#decision"
    },
    {
      "id": "applies",
      "label": "Use this when",
      "json_pointer": "/fit",
      "markdown_heading": "Use this when",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#applies"
    },
    {
      "id": "skip",
      "label": "Skip this when",
      "json_pointer": "/skip",
      "markdown_heading": "Skip this when",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#skip"
    },
    {
      "id": "checks",
      "label": "Work through the checks",
      "json_pointer": "/steps",
      "markdown_heading": "Checks",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#checks"
    },
    {
      "id": "accept",
      "label": "What would count as success?",
      "json_pointer": "/acceptance",
      "markdown_heading": "Acceptance",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#accept"
    },
    {
      "id": "evidence",
      "label": "Evidence to bring back",
      "json_pointer": "/evidence_plan",
      "markdown_heading": "Evidence to bring back",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#evidence"
    },
    {
      "id": "stop",
      "label": "Stop or recover",
      "json_pointer": "/stop",
      "markdown_heading": "Stop or recover",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#stop"
    },
    {
      "id": "limits",
      "label": "What this does not establish",
      "json_pointer": "/limits",
      "markdown_heading": "Limits",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#limits"
    },
    {
      "id": "sources",
      "label": "Reference links",
      "json_pointer": "/sources",
      "markdown_heading": "Reference links",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#sources"
    },
    {
      "id": "record",
      "label": "Use this guide with your own evidence",
      "json_pointer": "/decision_record",
      "markdown_heading": "Start this guide’s record",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#record"
    },
    {
      "id": "next-reads",
      "label": "If another problem remains",
      "json_pointer": "/reading_paths",
      "markdown_heading": "If another problem remains",
      "html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#next-reads"
    }
  ],
  "acceptance_links": [
    {
      "acceptance_check": 1,
      "acceptance_html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#accept-1",
      "evidence_html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#evidence-1",
      "acceptance_json_pointer": "/acceptance/0",
      "evidence_json_pointer": "/evidence_plan/0"
    },
    {
      "acceptance_check": 2,
      "acceptance_html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#accept-2",
      "evidence_html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#evidence-2",
      "acceptance_json_pointer": "/acceptance/1",
      "evidence_json_pointer": "/evidence_plan/1"
    },
    {
      "acceptance_check": 3,
      "acceptance_html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#accept-3",
      "evidence_html_path": "/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#evidence-3",
      "acceptance_json_pointer": "/acceptance/2",
      "evidence_json_pointer": "/evidence_plan/2"
    }
  ],
  "citation_note": "Section paths identify content on the canonical HTML page; they are not separate pages or evidence of live availability. Per-check numbers and JSON pointers apply to this build revision. Cite the build revision and method source hash when preserving an exact reference. Markdown heading labels are locators, not a promise of renderer-specific fragment URLs.",
  "source_fields": [
    "acceptance",
    "category",
    "decision",
    "dek",
    "evidence",
    "evidence_plan",
    "evidence_plan_note",
    "fit",
    "limits",
    "minutes",
    "next_reads",
    "scope_label",
    "search_terms",
    "skip",
    "slug",
    "sources",
    "steps",
    "stop",
    "title",
    "updated"
  ],
  "source_hash_scope": "SHA-256 of the build-input guide record serialized as JSON with sorted keys, compact separators and ASCII escaping. Not the downloadable guide.json file bytes."
}