Orchestration

Are you doing the work — or directing the work?

The meta-skill: knowing when to think and when to delegate thinking. As AI capabilities expand, orchestration becomes the primary work mode for knowledge workers.

Old Skill	AI-Native Skill
Write code	Direct AI to write, review, iterate
Research topics	Frame questions, synthesise AI-gathered sources
Draft documents	Set constraints, evaluate AI drafts, refine
Solve problems	Define the problem, evaluate AI solutions

The Mode Matrix

Every activity falls into one of four quadrants:

           LOW AI EDGE                 HIGH AI EDGE
        ┌──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────┐
        │                          │                          │
 HIGH   │  LEAD                    │  ORCHESTRATE             │
 HUMAN  │  You do it, AI assists   │  AI does it, you direct  │
 EDGE   │                          │                          │
        ├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
        │                          │                          │
 LOW    │  EXIT                    │  AUTOMATE                │
 HUMAN  │  Neither does it well    │  AI does it, you verify  │
 EDGE   │                          │                          │
        └──────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────┘

Orchestration lives in the top-right quadrant. High AI capability, but human judgment still matters.

The Orchestration Loop

FRAME → DELEGATE → EVALUATE → REFINE → (repeat)

Step	What You Do	What AI Does
Frame	Define the problem, set constraints	—
Delegate	Assign the task with context	Generate options, execute
Evaluate	Judge quality, spot gaps	Surface alternatives
Refine	Redirect, narrow, expand	Iterate on feedback

The loop tightens with practice. Better framing → better delegation → faster evaluation → sharper refinement.

By Domain

Domain	Lead Activities	Orchestrate Activities	Automate Activities
Strategy	Trade-off decisions, bets	Scenario modelling, research	Data gathering
Sales	Relationship building, closing	Lead gen, outreach drafts	CRM updates
Product	Vision, taste, empathy	Code, testing, docs	Formatting, validation
Marketing	Voice calibration, judgment	Content drafts, analytics	Scheduling, distribution
Operations	Exception handling	Process design	Routine execution

The Skill Stack

Orchestration requires four capabilities:

Skill	What It Means	Diagnostic
Problem framing	Defining what to solve, not just how	Can you write the problem in one sentence?
Constraint setting	Boundaries that produce better outputs	Does the AI produce better work with your constraints than without?
Quality judgment	Knowing good from good enough from bad	Can you explain why the output fails, specifically?
Feedback precision	Clear direction for iteration	Does one round of feedback produce a significant improvement?

The gap between your constraints and the ideal output = your orchestration skill level.

Anti-Patterns

Trap	What Happens	The Fix
Abdication	"AI will figure it out" — delegation without framing produces noise	Write constraints before delegating
Control	"I'll just do it myself" — refusing to delegate codified work	You become the bottleneck. The goal is leverage, not control.
One-shot	"That's not what I wanted" — expecting perfect on first try	Orchestration is iterative. Budget for 2-3 rounds.
Vague feedback	"This doesn't work" — no direction for improvement	Name the specific gap, explain why it matters, suggest direction

Practice Protocol

1. Constraint Experiments

For any task you'd normally do yourself:

1. Write the constraints you'd use to delegate it
2. Actually delegate it
3. Note where the output fails
4. Refine constraints and repeat

2. Mode Audits

For each activity in your work chart:

• What mode is it in today? (Lead / Orchestrate / Automate)
• What mode should it be in?
• What's blocking the shift?

3. Feedback Precision

When AI output isn't right, practice giving feedback that:

• Names the specific gap (not "this doesn't work")
• Explains why it matters (not just what's wrong)
• Suggests direction (not just criticism)

The 2027 Shift

Era	Primary Mode	What Humans Do
Yesterday	Lead	Most work directly
Today	Mixed	Some lead, some orchestrate
Tomorrow	Orchestrate	Direct AI, judge output
2027+	?	Define problems, own outcomes

Are you building orchestration capability now, or waiting until it's the only option?

Context

• Work Charts — Track mode shifts across activities
• Capabilities — The skills orchestration amplifies
• AI Interface — Tools for orchestration
• Taste — Quality judgment is the core of orchestration