Plans vs tasks: how AI agents think before they act

Every AI agent faces the same problem: given an open-ended goal, how do you avoid charging ahead in the wrong direction? The answer most production systems have converged on: separate planning from execution. Analyze first, act second. Make the plan visible and editable before committing to it. This turns out to be than a UX nicety - it's the difference between an agent that's useful on complex tasks and one that confidently does the wrong thing.