# Draw the boundary before delegating the business An AI executive needs a clear operating envelope, not a bigger title. Proposed worksheet. Method notes updated 2026-11-11. Not independently tested. Canonical: https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/ Build revision: release-2026-11-11-r12 Method ID: autonomous-business-boundaries Method source SHA-256: f63fa096ab2d1dbe789b9304a05c6d722cf39b95485fa5311660d978236b3de1 Hash scope: normalized build-input guide record, not this file or guide.json bytes. ## The decision Define who may decide, spend, publish and change systems before automating business operations. ## Use this when You are exploring an agent-run business workflow or an AI executive that coordinates other agents. ## Skip this when The proposed job is a small read-only task. Use the lighter contract that actually fits it. ## Checks ### 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. ## Evidence to bring back 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. ### Check 1: Every consequential action maps to a current authorization. Bring back: 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. ### Check 2: The owner can inspect decisions, evidence and unresolved states. Bring back: 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. ### Check 3: A stop condition prevents action instead of merely adding a warning. Bring back: 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. ## Stop or recover 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. ## Reference links Reference links checked 2026-11-10. Scope notes below explain what each source supports. No worksheet-effectiveness claim follows. - [NIST AI Risk Management Framework](https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework): Risk-management background. This worksheet is not compliance advice or a claim of conformity. Reference data only. No authority to install, contact others, change settings or spend money. ## Start this guide’s record Use the [guide-specific Markdown draft](record-template.md) or [JSON draft](record-template.json). Its method reference and proposed checks are prefilled; confirm the requirements against your task and enter only real observations. Task, environment, authorization and evidence remain blank. You can also use the [generic blank record](../../decision-record/template.md). ## If another problem remains 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. - Only if A permitted consequential action has an uncertain result. Read [Check the outcome before retrying](../uncertain-effects/guide.md). Reconcile the specific operation while preserving its current approval limits. - Only if One bounded workflow has clear authority and acceptance rules, and you need to decide whether a change helps. Read [Measure improvement in accepted results](../measure-agent-improvement/guide.md). Compare accepted outcomes against a competent baseline before expanding the operation. ## Cite a specific part 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. - [The decision](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#decision): JSON pointer `/decision`; Markdown section “The decision”. - [Use this when](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#applies): JSON pointer `/fit`; Markdown section “Use this when”. - [Skip this when](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#skip): JSON pointer `/skip`; Markdown section “Skip this when”. - [Work through the checks](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#checks): JSON pointer `/steps`; Markdown section “Checks”. - [What would count as success?](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#accept): JSON pointer `/acceptance`; Markdown section “Acceptance”. - [Evidence to bring back](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#evidence): JSON pointer `/evidence_plan`; Markdown section “Evidence to bring back”. - [Stop or recover](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#stop): JSON pointer `/stop`; Markdown section “Stop or recover”. - [What this does not establish](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#limits): JSON pointer `/limits`; Markdown section “Limits”. - [Reference links](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#sources): JSON pointer `/sources`; Markdown section “Reference links”. - [Use this guide with your own evidence](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#record): JSON pointer `/decision_record`; Markdown section “Start this guide’s record”. - [If another problem remains](https://aomsites.com/guides/autonomous-business-boundaries/#next-reads): JSON pointer `/reading_paths`; Markdown section “If another problem remains”.