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intermediate16 min16 min read

Chatbot, workflow, or agent — pick the smallest

One screen, three words. Stop renaming a saved prompt so a slide can say agentic.

What you will learn

  • ✓Define the three words without a vendor deck
  • ✓Label one real job
  • ✓Refuse an upgrade that only changes the noun

Chatbot: one completion. Workflow: a fixed path with a gate. Agent: a loop with tools and a budget.

Aside. The robot does not get your badge. Your manager still reads the email with your name on it.

If the path is known, do not buy a loop. If someone renamed your Zap, the Zap did not get smarter.

See A checklist with a model in the middle is not an agent company for the longer version. This page is the choice so you can leave the meeting.

Copy-paste

Reply with only CHATBOT, WORKFLOW, or AGENT, one sentence, and the missing piece.

JOB: [what happens, who sees it, cost of a wrong send]

You are done when

The label on paper matches the thing you will actually run.

judgmentvocabularyday-job
🤖

Almost Done!

Made it to the end — nice work. Record your achievements to update your smart-assistant profile.

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