Phase 5: Agent Orchestration Patterns · 50 min · Claude Code · Python

The Five Workflow Patterns

Five shapes cover most workflow-appropriate tasks. Picking the wrong shape doesn't make the task impossible — it makes it awkward and expensive.

What you will learn

Name and distinguish the five workflow patterns: prompt chaining, routing, parallelization, orchestrator-workers, evaluator-optimizer
Match a task's actual shape to the pattern that fits it, rather than defaulting to one favorite pattern
Distinguish routing (fixed paths chosen in advance) from orchestrator-workers (subtasks determined dynamically at runtime)
Implement working versions of all five patterns and verify their control-flow behavior

Introduction

The Five Workflow Patterns

Objective

Implement working, runnable versions of all five workflow patterns, demonstrating each pattern's actual control-flow shape with simple deterministic steps standing in for real LLM/tool calls.

Unlock the full lesson

You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers The Problem, The Concept, Build, Check Yourself, Key Terms & Next — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.

Create a free account — the opening phases of 29 of 35 courses are free, no credit card.