Plan-and-Execute (Agent Pattern)

Plan-and-execute is an agent reasoning pattern in which the agent first generates a step-by-step plan for completing a task, then executes each step sequentially or in parallel.

Separating planning from execution allows for human review of the plan before actions are taken, making it a natural integration point for governance controls that require approval of high-risk action sequences.

Closely related concepts include Multi-Agent System, Planning Loop, Sidecar Pattern (Agent), Agent Framework. Each is defined in the Prefactor glossary.