Glossary
MissionFlow
A MissionFlow is a mission, its boundaries, and the execution path an agent discovers at runtime to accomplish it.
Previously, this kind of process was usually described as an “AI workflow” or “agentic workflow”. The term MissionFlow makes the difference explicit: a workflow defines the path in advance; a MissionFlow defines what must be achieved and within which limits, and the path is found along the way.
Workflow vs. MissionFlow
| Workflow | MissionFlow |
|---|---|
| Defines the steps | Defines the mission and its boundaries |
| Path known in advance | Path discovered at runtime |
| A failed step stops the process | A failed step may trigger adaptation |
| Success = every step ran | Success = the mission was achieved, within policy |
Example
Mission: “Make sure this file reaches the destination securely before 17:00 and verify that it was processed.”
The agent tries SFTP. It fails. The agent switches to an approved API, refreshes expired credentials, delivers the file, verifies the checksum and confirms processing. The mission is the same every time; the path may differ on every run.
Why it matters
Because the path changes from run to run, traditional monitoring — which checks whether predefined steps executed — cannot tell whether a MissionFlow succeeded, how, at what cost, or within which policies. Observing MissionFlows is the job of AFPM (AI Flow & Performance Monitoring).