Gating Expensive Batch Work

Purpose

Stop a batch from being run item-by-item end-to-end when the method might be wrong. Serial execution guarantees the worst position: a defect found at item 3 forces a choice between finishing with a method known to be broken and discarding the work already done. Neither is recoverable.

When to Use

• The same expensive procedure runs over many items, and most of the cost is per-item agent work that cannot be scripted.
• The method could still be wrong, and the items are what would reveal it.
• Some step spends an irreversible resource.

When Not to Use