338 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
338 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
# Example: Parallel Research Delegation
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This example shows how to decompose a research task into parallel specialist activities.
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## Scenario
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**User Request:** "Research competitive landscape for our B2B SaaS pricing strategy"
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## Task Decomposition
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```
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Original Task: Research competitive landscape for B2B SaaS pricing
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Activities Identified:
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1. Analyze Competitor A (Salesforce) pricing
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- Expertise: Market research
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- Output: Pricing analysis document
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- Dependencies: None
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2. Analyze Competitor B (HubSpot) pricing
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- Expertise: Market research
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- Output: Pricing analysis document
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- Dependencies: None
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3. Analyze Competitor C (Zendesk) pricing
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- Expertise: Market research
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- Output: Pricing analysis document
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- Dependencies: None
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4. Synthesize competitive findings
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- Expertise: Strategic analysis
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- Output: Unified competitive strategy
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- Dependencies: Activities 1, 2, 3
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Execution Strategy: Mixed
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- Parallel: Activities 1-3 (independent research)
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- Sequential: Activity 4 (requires all results)
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Reasoning: Each competitor analysis is independent. Synthesis must wait for all analyses to complete.
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```
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## Agent Prompts Generated
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### Agent 1: Salesforce Analysis
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```
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FOCUS: Research Salesforce's B2B SaaS pricing strategy
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- Identify all pricing tiers (Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited)
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- Map features to each tier
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- Note promotional strategies and discounts
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- Calculate price-per-user for each tier
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- Identify what features drive tier upgrades
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EXCLUDE:
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- Don't analyze their technology stack or implementation
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- Don't make pricing recommendations yet (synthesis phase)
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- Don't compare to other competitors (separate analyses)
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- Don't analyze Salesforce Platform (focus on CRM product)
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CONTEXT: We're researching competitive landscape for our B2B SaaS pricing strategy.
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- Target market: Mid-market companies (100-500 employees)
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- Looking for pricing patterns and positioning insights
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- Focus on transparent, public pricing only
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OUTPUT: Structured analysis document including:
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- Pricing Tiers Table (tier name, price, billing cycle)
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- Feature Matrix by Tier (features mapped to each tier)
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- Key Insights (3-5 bullet points about their strategy)
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- Notable Patterns (what we can learn from their approach)
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- Competitive Positioning (how they position each tier)
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SUCCESS: Complete analysis with actionable data
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- All publicly available tiers documented
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- Features accurately mapped to tiers
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- Insights are specific and evidence-based
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- Patterns identified are relevant to our market
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TERMINATION:
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- Analysis complete with all sections filled
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- Information not publicly available (document what's missing)
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- Maximum 2 hours of research time reached
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```
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### Agent 2: HubSpot Analysis
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```
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FOCUS: Research HubSpot's B2B SaaS pricing strategy
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- Identify all pricing tiers (Starter, Professional, Enterprise)
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- Map features to each tier
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- Note freemium offering and upgrade triggers
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- Calculate price-per-contact for marketing hub
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- Identify bundling strategy across products
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EXCLUDE:
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- Don't analyze technology implementation
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- Don't make pricing recommendations yet
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- Don't compare to other competitors
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- Don't analyze HubSpot Academy or services pricing
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CONTEXT: Competitive landscape research for B2B SaaS pricing.
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- Target market: Mid-market companies (100-500 employees)
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- Interest in freemium-to-paid conversion strategies
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- Focus on Marketing Hub and Sales Hub pricing
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OUTPUT: Structured analysis document including:
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- Pricing Tiers Table
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- Feature Matrix by Tier
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- Freemium Analysis (what's free, what triggers upgrade)
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- Key Insights (3-5 bullet points)
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- Bundling Strategy (how products bundle together)
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- Notable Patterns
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SUCCESS: Complete analysis with freemium insights
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- All tiers documented
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- Freemium model understood
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- Bundle pricing analyzed
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- Insights are actionable
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TERMINATION:
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- Analysis complete
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- Information unavailable
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- 2 hours research time reached
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```
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### Agent 3: Zendesk Analysis
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```
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FOCUS: Research Zendesk's B2B SaaS pricing strategy
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- Identify all pricing tiers (Suite Team, Growth, Professional, Enterprise)
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- Map features to each tier
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- Note per-agent pricing model
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- Analyze add-on pricing strategy
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- Identify what drives customer to higher tiers
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EXCLUDE:
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- Don't analyze implementation details
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- Don't make recommendations yet
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- Don't compare to competitors
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- Don't analyze Zendesk Sell (focus on Support product)
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CONTEXT: Competitive research for B2B SaaS pricing strategy.
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- Target market: Mid-market companies
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- Interest in per-seat vs per-usage pricing models
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- Focus on customer support software pricing
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OUTPUT: Structured analysis including:
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- Pricing Tiers Table
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- Feature Matrix by Tier
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- Per-Agent Economics (cost per agent at scale)
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- Add-On Pricing (what extras cost money)
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- Key Insights (3-5 bullet points)
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- Upgrade Drivers (what makes customers move up tiers)
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SUCCESS: Complete analysis with per-seat insights
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- All tiers documented
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- Per-agent model understood
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- Add-on strategy mapped
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- Insights are specific
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TERMINATION:
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- Analysis complete
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- Information unavailable
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- 2 hours research reached
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```
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### Agent 4: Synthesis (Sequential, after 1-3)
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```
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FOCUS: Synthesize competitive pricing findings into unified strategy insights
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EXCLUDE:
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- Don't create our pricing (separate decision)
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- Don't add new competitor research
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- Don't analyze product features (stick to pricing patterns)
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CONTEXT: We have three completed competitor analyses.
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- Salesforce analysis: [Results from Agent 1]
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- HubSpot analysis: [Results from Agent 2]
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- Zendesk analysis: [Results from Agent 3]
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- Goal: Extract patterns and strategic insights
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OUTPUT: Competitive Pricing Strategy Document including:
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- Cross-Competitor Patterns (themes across all three)
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- Pricing Model Comparison (per-user vs per-contact vs per-usage)
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- Tier Strategy Analysis (how competitors structure tiers)
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- Freemium Insights (who uses it, how it works)
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- Feature Differentiation (what features separate tiers)
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- Positioning Opportunities (gaps or opportunities for us)
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- Strategic Recommendations (3-5 actionable insights)
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SUCCESS: Unified synthesis with strategic value
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- Patterns identified across competitors
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- Comparisons are fair and evidence-based
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- Recommendations are actionable
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- No contradiction between analyses
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TERMINATION:
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- Synthesis complete
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- Conflicting data needs clarification (escalate)
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- All sections filled
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```
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## Execution Flow
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### Phase 1: Launch Parallel Research (Agents 1-3)
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```
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🚀 Launching 3 parallel research agents
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Agent 1: Salesforce Analysis → RUNNING
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Agent 2: HubSpot Analysis → RUNNING
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Agent 3: Zendesk Analysis → RUNNING
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File Coordination Check:
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✅ Agent 1 OUTPUT: research/salesforce-pricing.md
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✅ Agent 2 OUTPUT: research/hubspot-pricing.md
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✅ Agent 3 OUTPUT: zendesk-pricing.md
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✅ All paths unique - No collision risk
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Parallel Safety Check:
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✅ Independent tasks - No dependencies
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✅ Read-only research - No shared state
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✅ Separate validation - Each can be reviewed independently
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✅ Won't block - Different data sources
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Status: ✅ SAFE FOR PARALLEL EXECUTION
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```
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### Phase 2: Await Completion
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```
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⏳ Waiting for parallel agents...
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Agent 1: COMPLETE ✅ (45 minutes)
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- Salesforce analysis delivered
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- All sections complete
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- 4 tiers documented
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Agent 2: COMPLETE ✅ (52 minutes)
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- HubSpot analysis delivered
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- Freemium model analyzed
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- 3 tiers + free tier documented
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Agent 3: COMPLETE ✅ (38 minutes)
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- Zendesk analysis delivered
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- Per-agent model mapped
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- 4 tiers + add-ons documented
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All parallel agents complete. Proceeding to synthesis.
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```
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### Phase 3: Launch Synthesis (Agent 4)
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```
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🚀 Launching synthesis agent
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Agent 4: Competitive Synthesis → RUNNING
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Context provided:
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- Salesforce results (from Agent 1)
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- HubSpot results (from Agent 2)
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- Zendesk results (from Agent 3)
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Agent 4: COMPLETE ✅ (25 minutes)
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- Cross-competitor patterns identified
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- 5 strategic recommendations generated
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- Positioning opportunities highlighted
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```
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## Results
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### Total Time: 52 minutes (parallel) + 25 minutes (synthesis) = 77 minutes
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**Compare to sequential:** 45 + 52 + 38 + 25 = 160 minutes
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**Time saved:** 83 minutes (52% faster)
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### Deliverables
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```
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📁 research/
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├── salesforce-pricing.md (Agent 1)
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├── hubspot-pricing.md (Agent 2)
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├── zendesk-pricing.md (Agent 3)
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└── competitive-strategy.md (Agent 4 synthesis)
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```
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### Key Insights Generated
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From the synthesis agent:
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1. **Tiering Pattern:** All three use 3-4 tier structure with similar progression (basic → professional → enterprise)
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2. **Pricing Models:** Mixed approaches
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- Salesforce: Per-user, all-inclusive features
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- HubSpot: Per-contact, freemium base
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- Zendesk: Per-agent, add-on marketplace
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3. **Feature Gating:** Core features in all tiers, advanced analytics/automation in top tiers
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4. **Freemium:** Only HubSpot uses freemium successfully (strong upgrade triggers identified)
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5. **Opportunity:** Gap in mid-market transparent pricing - competitors hide "contact sales" behind top tier
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## Lessons Learned
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### What Worked Well
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✅ **Parallel execution:** Saved 52% time
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✅ **Independent research:** No coordination overhead
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✅ **Synthesis phase:** Unified findings effectively
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✅ **Unique file paths:** No collisions
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✅ **Explicit FOCUS/EXCLUDE:** Agents stayed on task
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### Improvements for Next Time
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- Add time limits to prevent research rabbit holes
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- Specify exact format (all agents used slightly different table formats)
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- Request specific pricing data points (some agents missed cost-per-user calculations)
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- Consider adding validation agent before synthesis (check data accuracy)
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## Reusable Template
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This pattern works for any parallel research:
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```
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1. Decompose research into independent topics
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2. Create identical FOCUS/EXCLUDE templates
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3. Customize context and output paths only
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4. Launch all in parallel
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5. Synthesis agent consolidates findings
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```
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**Use when:**
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- Researching multiple competitors
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- Analyzing multiple technologies
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- Gathering multiple data sources
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- Interviewing multiple stakeholders
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