BUSINESS PROCESS AUTOMATION
AND
AI & ML
AGENTIC AI: FROM TOOLS TO TEAMMATES
- DHARMENDER KAPOOR
- ADVISOR | DIGITAL, AI & BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION
- FORMER CEO MINDSPRINT & BIRLASOFT,
- GLOBAL HEAD OF BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION AT HCL
COPYRIGHT: DHARMANDER KAPOOR
AGENTIC AI: FROM TOOLS TO TEAMMATES
Objective
Preparing Business
Leaders for the Next
Wave of Automation
THE EVOLUTION OF AI IN BUSINESS
What: AI that can reason, plan, and execute a
We've Been multi-step goal autonomously.
Agentic AI
Climbing the Analogy: A fully empowered project manager. (The Proactive
Ladder of AI You give them the objective, and they Partner)
Capability manage the entire project to completion.
What: Creates new content—text, images,
code—from a prompt.
Analogy: A brilliant, eager intern. Give them a Generative AI (The Creator)
task, they'll produce a draft, but you need to
check and refine their work.
What: ML models for prediction, NLP for
classification. Requires human
direction for every step. Assisted Intelligence (The Analyst)
Analogy: A GPS. It suggests a route,
but you still do the driving.
What: Rule-based scripts, macros,
basic RPA.
Analogy: A power drill. It does one
thing well when you point it.
Task Automation (The Specialist)
WHAT IS AGENTIC AI
Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can autonomously make
decisions, set goals, and take actions with minimal human intervention. Unlike
traditional AI that responds to prompts, agentic AI can proactively plan and
execute multi-step tasks, learn from its experiences, and adapt to new situations
to achieve objectives. It is composed of AI "agents" that are designed to reason,
plan, and act independently, making them suitable for automating complex
workflows.
Key characteristics of agentic AI
•Autonomy: Can operate independently without constant human oversight.
•Goal-Oriented: Sets and pursues specific objectives rather than just responding to
commands.
•Proactive: Generates its own actions based on context and understanding, rather than
passively waiting for input.
•Multi-step planning and execution: Breaks down large goals into smaller, actionable
steps and executes them sequentially.
•Adaptability: Uses techniques like reinforcement learning to learn and improve over
time.
•Collaboration: Can work with other AI agents or systems to achieve goals.
WHAT IS AN AI AGENT?
What is it: More Than a Chatbot: An AI That Acts
Core Definition: An AI system that perceives its environment, reasons to achieve
a goal, and takes a sequence of actions autonomously.
An Agent's "thought" process:
◦ 1. GOAL ("Plan a product launch event")
◦ 2. PERCEIVE & REASON (Checks calendar, budgets, vendor databases)
◦ 3. PLAN & ACT (Books venue, drafts emails, creates project timeline)
◦ 4. LEARN & ITERATE (If venue is booked, finds another; loops back to step 2)
Key Differentiator: It doesn't just answer a question; it solves a problem from start
to finish.
THE "BRAIN" OF AN AI AGENT: REASONING & PLANNING
•How It Thinks: From Prompt to Plan
•"Reasoning" for a business goal.
•User Goal: "Reduce procurement costs for office supplies by 15% this quarter."
•Agent's Internal Reasoning:
[Link]: "This requires analyzing spending data, identifying top vendors, and
negotiating new contracts."
[Link]:
•Action 1: Pull spend data from SAP and Coupa.
•Action 2: Analyze for high-cost, high-volume items.
•Action 3: Research alternative vendors and benchmark prices.
•Action 4: Draft negotiation emails to current vendors.
•Action 5: Schedule follow-up meetings on my calendar.
[Link]: The agent performs these actions through connected software.
THE "HANDS" OF AN AI AGENT: TOOLS & ACTIONS
It's Powerful Because It Can Use Tools
•Concept: An AI Agent isn't just a language model. It's a "brain" connected to "hands"
that can manipulate the digital world.
•The agent is in the center, connected to various tools:
•Software & APIs: Your ERP (SAP), CRM (Salesforce), Email (Outlook), Databases.
•Web Browsing: For research, price comparison, gathering market intelligence.
•Code Execution: To run data analysis, build reports, or automate calculations.
•Document Creators: To draft contracts, prepare presentations, write reports
BUSINESS USE CASES: THE AGENTIC ORGANIZATION
Transforming Core Business Functions
◦ Example 1: Sales & Marketing
◦ A Prospecting Agent that continuously scans news and LinkedIn for companies showing growth signals, researches key
decision-makers, and drafts personalized outreach emails for the sales team to approve and send.
◦ Quadrant 2: Operations & Supply Chain
◦ Example: A Supply Chain Agent that monitors global news, weather, and shipping data to predict disruptions,
automatically re-routes shipments, and negotiates with backup suppliers via digital channels.
◦ Quadrant 3: Finance & Strategy
◦ Example: A M&A Screening Agent that autonomously scans thousands of public companies based on predefined
financial, geographic, and strategic criteria, providing a weekly shortlist of potential acquisition targets to the strategy
team.
◦ Quadrant 4: HR & Talent
◦ Example: An Onboarding Agent that, from the moment a offer is signed, handles everything: IT setup, paperwork,
scheduling training, ordering equipment, and acting as a 24/7 Q&A resource for the new hire.
BUSINESS USE CASES: THE AGENTIC ORGANIZATION
Transforming Sales & Marketing
◦ Example 1: Leads Reach-out Plan
◦ A Prospecting Agent that continuously scans news and LinkedIn for companies
showing growth signals, researches key decision-makers, and drafts personalized
outreach emails for the sales team to approve and send.
◦ Example 2 : Creating An Account Plan for B2B Company
◦ Lets Explore
BUSINESS USE CASES: THE AGENTIC ORGANIZATION
Transform Operations & Supply Chain
◦ Example 1:
◦ A Supply Chain Agent that monitors global news, weather, and shipping data to
predict disruptions, automatically re-routes shipments, and negotiates with backup
suppliers via digital channels.
◦ Example 2: AI Generated Demand Supply matching to create Differentiation in
Logistics Industry
◦ Lets Explore
BUSINESS USE CASES: THE AGENTIC ORGANIZATION
Transforming Finance & Strategy
◦ Example:
◦ An M&A Screening Agent that autonomously scans thousands of public companies
based on predefined financial, geographic, and strategic criteria, providing a
weekly shortlist of potential acquisition targets to the strategy team.
BUSINESS USE CASES: THE AGENTIC ORGANIZATION
Transforming HR & Talent
◦ Example:
◦ An Onboarding Agent that, from the moment an offer is signed, handles everything:
IT setup, paperwork, scheduling training, ordering equipment, and acting as a 24/7
Q&A resource for the new hire.
THE BUSINESS LEADER'S ROLE: ORCHESTRATOR, NOT OPERATOR
Headline: Your New Job: Managing a Hybrid Workforce
Your New Responsibilities:
◦ Strategic Goal-Setting: You define the what and the why. The agent figures out
the how.
◦ Agent Oversight & Governance: You establish the "guardrails" — budgets, approval
thresholds, ethical guidelines, and brand voice.
◦ Managing Exceptions: You step in when the agent encounters a novel situation
beyond its scope or when human judgment is critical.
◦ Team Integration: You redesign workflows so humans and agents collaborate
seamlessly. Humans do the strategy, creativity, and empathy; agents do the execution,
data-crunching, and monitoring.
THE IMPLEMENTATION JOURNEY: FROM PILOT TO SCALE
How We Get There
A phased roadmap diagram.
◦ Phase 1: Discovery & Use Case Identification (Now)
◦ Task: Identify repetitive, multi-step, data-heavy processes with clear goals.
◦ Your Role: Lead the business process analysis.
◦ Phase 2: Pilot Co-pilot (Next 6-12 months)
◦ Task: Implement agents that assist humans (e.g., drafts a full plan but requires human approval to execute).
◦ Your Role: Champion the pilot, manage change, measure ROI.
◦ Phase 3: Trusted Delegation (1-2 years)
◦ Task: Grant autonomy for well-defined tasks within strict guardrails (e.g., "auto-negotiate with vendors for orders under $10k").
◦ Your Role: Define the guardrails and audit outcomes.
◦ Phase 4: Strategic Partnership (Future)
◦ Task: Agents run entire business functions and provide strategic recommendations.
◦ Your Role: Focus on higher-level strategy and innovation.
KEY TAKEAWAYS & CALL TO ACTION
Agentic AI is a Paradigm Shift: It's not a better chatbot; it's a new type
of autonomous workforce.
Your Value Shifts: From doing the process to designing and governing the system.
Start Thinking Now:
◦ "What multi-step processes in my domain could be delegated?"
◦ "What data and tools would an agent need to succeed?"
◦ "How do I build a culture of human-agent collaboration?"
Final Thought: The most successful future leaders won't be those who can use AI,
but those who can orchestrate it.
THANKS