convoy-orchestration

CIEL ADAPTATION: Convoy Orchestration (Dependency-Graph Distribution)

This skill provides dependency-graph-based task distribution for agent crews. While ciel-swarm-orchestration focuses on automatic task decomposition and parallel fan-out, convoy-orchestration adds explicit dependency modeling — you define which tasks block which, and the system routes work accordingly. Use this when tasks have complex interdependencies that automatic decomposition cannot capture.

When to Activate

• A project is too large for one agent session and tasks have explicit dependencies.
• You need coordinated effort across multiple parallel work streams with ordering constraints.
• Work needs tracking across distributed agents with checkpoint-based coordination.
• You are managing a critical path where some tasks block everything downstream.

Orchestration Patterns

• Parallel Map: Same task on different inputs — fan-out → process → fan-in.
• Pipeline: Sequential stages — Stage 1 → Stage 2 → Stage 3.
• Reduce: Aggregate parallel results — distribute → process → collect → combine.
• Tree: Hierarchical decomposition — parent → children → grandchildren.
• Mesh: Interdependent tasks — dependency graph with partial ordering.

Workflow

1. Decompose: Break project scope into parallelizable work units with clear completion criteria.
2. Define Dependencies: Map which tasks need what — identify the critical path.
3. Assign: Distribute tasks across available agent capacity, respecting dependency order.
4. Execute & Monitor: Track progress, handle blockers, checkpoint frequently.
5. Synthesize: Combine outputs into a coherent deliverable; run Council coherence check.

Dependency Management

• Minimize dependencies to maximize parallelization.
• Identify the critical path early — these tasks block everything.
• Handle failures gracefully: retry, reassign, or find workaround.
• Checkpoint frequently — don't lose progress on agent failure.
• Version intermediate results for rollback to last known good state.