# HITL Business Pattern Recognition Guide Use this guide to decide whether a business process needs a Human-in-the-Loop node, and where to place it — even when the user has not explicitly asked for one. --- ## When to Recommend HITL Look for these signals in the business description or process context: ### Approval gate The automation produces something that requires sign-off before it can proceed. | Signal phrases | Examples | |---|---| | "approve", "sign off", "authorize", "get approval" | Invoice approval, PO sign-off, budget authorization | | "four-eyes check", "dual control", "maker-checker" | Financial transactions, compliance workflows | | "review before posting", "validate before sending" | CRM updates, email campaigns, database writes | **Insertion point:** After the automation generates the artifact to review, before it takes the action requiring approval. --- ### Exception escalation The automation hits a case it cannot resolve autonomously and needs a human decision. | Signal phrases | Examples | |---|---| | "if uncertain / low confidence, escalate" | AI agent confidence threshold | | "edge case", "anomaly", "exception handling" | Fraud alerts, out-of-policy transactions | | "escalate to manager / supervisor" | Customer service workflows | **Insertion point:** Inside a conditional branch where the automation detects it cannot proceed alone. --- ### Data enrichment The automation extracted or generated data that is incomplete — a human must fill in the gaps. | Signal phrases | Examples | |---|---| | "fill in missing fields", "enrich", "complete the record" | Partially extracted invoice data | | "human validates / corrects" | OCR output verification | | "needs human input before continuing" | Missing vendor code, unknown cost center | **Insertion point:** After extraction/generation, before the downstream step that requires complete data. --- ### Compliance and audit checkpoint A regulation or internal policy requires documented human sign-off. | Signal phrases | Examples | |---|---| | "compliance", "audit trail", "regulatory sign-off" | SOX controls, GDPR consent flows | | "must be reviewed by", "requires attestation" | Legal review gates, privacy impact assessments | **Insertion point:** At the mandated checkpoint defined by the regulation or policy. --- ### Write-back validation An agent or automation is about to write to an external system — a human must confirm the proposed change. | Signal phrases | Examples | |---|---| | "before writing to", "before posting to", "agent writes to ServiceNow / SAP / CRM" | Any write to a system of record | | "human confirms before agent acts" | Autonomous agent guard rails | **Insertion point:** Immediately before the write/post action. --- ### Agentic output review An AI agent produced a document, draft, classification, or recommendation — a human must verify it before the result is used or published. | Signal phrases | Examples | |---|---| | "review AI-generated content", "human verifies before sending" | Agent-drafted emails, RCA reports, meeting summaries | | "check before publishing", "validate AI output" | AI-written case notes, support ticket responses | | "human in the loop for AI decisions" | Any LLM output going to a system of record or customer | **Insertion point:** After the agent node, before the downstream action that consumes the output. --- ### IT / change management approval A change request or access request needs human authorization before the automation executes it. | Signal phrases | Examples | |---|---| | "CAB approval", "change request", "change window" | IT change management (ServiceNow, Jira Service Management) | | "access request", "provision access", "grant permission" | Identity and access management workflows | | "runbook approval", "deployment sign-off" | DevOps release gates | **Insertion point:** After the automation prepares the change record, before it applies the change. --- ### HR and offer / contract workflows A document or decision with legal or HR significance must be reviewed before it is sent to a third party. | Signal phrases | Examples | |---|---| | "offer letter", "employment contract", "onboarding approval" | HR hiring workflows | | "termination review", "performance decision" | HR case management | | "contract terms", "counter-sign", "legal review gate" | Procurement, vendor onboarding | **Insertion point:** After document generation, before the document is dispatched. --- ### Customer communication approval An automation is about to send a message on behalf of a person or brand — a human must review tone, accuracy, or content before it goes out. | Signal phrases | Examples | |---|---| | "approve before sending", "review draft email", "check before posting" | Customer support responses, marketing emails | | "agent-written reply", "draft response" | Helpdesk, CRM follow-ups | **Insertion point:** After the draft is generated, before the send/post action. --- ### Financial transaction approval A monetary action above a threshold or of a certain type requires human sign-off. | Signal phrases | Examples | |---|---| | "above threshold", "over limit", "exceeds budget" | PO approval, expense reimbursement over limit | | "wire transfer", "payment release", "credit note" | AP/AR workflows | | "price override", "discount approval" | Sales quote approval | **Insertion point:** After the automation determines the transaction details, before it submits the payment or posts the entry. --- ## When NOT to Recommend HITL - The process description is fully automated with no decision point (e.g. "process all invoices automatically") - The human interaction is asynchronous notification only (use email/Slack activity instead) - The user explicitly says no human review is needed - The decision can be made by a rule or AI model with sufficient confidence - The user is asking about **runtime task management** — reassigning, monitoring, cancelling, or checking the status of existing Action Center tasks. These are operational questions answered by `uip tasks` commands or the Orchestrator UI, not by adding a HITL node. A question like "how do I reassign a task sitting for 3 days?" is task administration, not automation authoring — do not recommend adding a HITL checkpoint in response. --- ## Proactive HITL Recommendation **Never block on this.** If a business description contains any of the above signals but the user has not asked for a HITL, state it and proceed straight to Step 3 (schema design) — do not wait for a reply: > "This process includes [signal]. Before the automation [action], a human should review [data]. I'm inserting a HITL node here — remove it if you don't want it."