Pattern: Agent as Facilitator

🔵 Optional

Use this when: You're running a working session (planning, retro, design review) and want the agent to handle the mechanical work — note-taking, time-keeping, synthesizing — so you can focus on the conversation.

How it works

The agent runs a ceremony script while you focus on the people and the discussion.

Before the session → Agent helps you prepare (agenda, context, questions)
During the session → Agent takes structured notes, tracks decisions and action items
After the session → Agent synthesizes notes into artifacts (iteration plan, retro summary, action items)

This is fundamentally different from Drafter or Analyst. The agent isn't producing the output instead of you — it's handling the logistics so you can be fully present in the room.

When to use it

Iteration planning sessions
Retrospectives
Design reviews
Stakeholder meetings
User interview sessions (note-taking)
Brainstorming or prioritization workshops

When NOT to use it

1:1 conversations — If it's just you and one other person, be present. Don't make them feel like they're being processed.
Highly sensitive discussions — Performance conversations, conflict resolution, or personnel issues shouldn't be fed to an agent.
When it's more distraction than help — If managing the agent takes attention away from the room, drop it. The conversation matters more than the notes.

The three phases

Phase 1: Before the session

Use the agent to prepare:

I'm facilitating a (ceremony type) session.

Context:
(What happened last iteration / what's being reviewed / what's on the agenda)

Attendees:
(Who's in the room and their roles)

Help me prepare:
1. A tight agenda with time boxes for each section
2. Key questions I should ask to draw out the important conversations
3. Any risks or tensions I should be aware of going in

This is the Agent as Drafter pattern applied to facilitation prep.

Phase 2: During the session

You have two options:

Option A: Live dictation Paste notes into the agent in real-time and ask it to organize them as you go. This works well if you're typing quickly and want structure applied on the fly.

Option B: Post-session processing Take raw notes yourself (or assign a note-taker) and process them with the agent after the session.

Option B is usually better because it lets you focus entirely on the conversation during the session.

Phase 3: After the session

Here are my raw notes from today's (ceremony type):

(Paste notes)

Produce:
1. A structured summary organized by agenda topic
2. All decisions made, with who agreed and any dissent noted
3. All action items with owners and due dates
4. Any open questions that weren't resolved
5. Suggested topics for follow-up

Ceremony-specific tips

Iteration planning

Pre-session: Agent reviews backlog and flags stories that aren't ready
Post-session: Agent drafts the iteration plan from your planning notes
See practices/iteration-planning/guide.md

Retrospective

Pre-session: Agent summarizes last retro's action items and their completion status
Post-session: Agent organizes themes, identifies the most important improvement, and tracks action items
See practices/facilitation/retrospective.md

Demo

Pre-session: Agent drafts a demo run-of-show from the iteration plan
Post-session: Agent captures feedback and maps it to backlog items
See practices/facilitation/demo.md

Design review

Pre-session: Agent summarizes the design context and acceptance criteria
Post-session: Agent captures feedback organized by: must-fix, consider, out of scope

What to review

Check	Why
Decisions are accurately captured	Misrecorded decisions cause downstream confusion
Action items have real owners	"The team will..." isn't an owner. A person's name is.
Nuance is preserved	The agent may flatten disagreement or dissent — make sure minority opinions are captured
Nothing was invented	The agent should only capture what was said, not generate new ideas

Common mistakes

Letting the agent facilitate — The agent handles logistics. You facilitate the humans. Don't outsource the interpersonal work.
Over-structuring — Sometimes the best session is a messy conversation that finds an unexpected direction. Don't let the agenda override discovery.
Forgetting action item follow-through — The agent captures action items beautifully. But if nobody reviews them next week, they're decoration.
Using the agent in-session when it's distracting — If managing the agent takes your attention away from the team, stop. The conversation is always more important than the notes.