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What is an AOP?

An AOP (Agent Operating Procedure) is the detailed, structured rules that your Duvo agent follows to execute your workflow. Think of it as the “operating manual” for your agent—a guide that tells it exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to handle different situations.

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How the AOP Differs from the Agent Builder

Agent Builder
  • Purpose: To create and modify the AOP
  • Format/Style: Your casual, plain-English description - like you’re talking to a coworker
  • Example:
Check for new expense reports and send them to managers for approval AOP
  • Purpose: The actual “code” that controls your agent’s behavior
  • Format/Style: Structured, detailed, containing specific logic, conditions, and procedures
  • Example:
Route submitted expense reports to the appropriate managers for approval every Monday.

# STEPS
1. Access the expense management system
   - Navigate to the expense reports dashboard
   - Filter for reports with status "Submitted" and submission date within the past 7 days
   - If expense system is unavailable: retry after 30 minutes

2. Retrieve expense report details
   - For each report found, extract: employee name, employee email, report ID, total amount, submission date, manager name, manager email, line items, and receipts
   - If report is missing required receipts: return to employee with a note requesting them

3. Determine appropriate approver
   - Identify the employee's direct manager from the HR system
   - If no manager assigned: escalate to department head

4. Send approval request
   - Compose email to manager with:
     Subject: "Expense Report Approval Required - [Employee Name] - [Report ID]"
     Body: report summary, total amount, submission date
     Attachment: expense report PDF
     Include "Approve" and "Reject" links
   - If manager email is invalid: notify HR system administrator

5. Log activity
   - Record date approval request sent and manager notified
   - Update report status to "Pending Manager Approval"

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Formatting Matters

The structure and formatting of the AOP significantly impacts how well your agent performs: Clarity: A one-sentence GOAL followed by numbered STEPS makes the workflow easy to scan and understand at a glance Precision: Bullet points and numbered steps create unambiguous sequences that the agent can follow reliably Self-contained steps: Each step includes everything needed to execute it — data formats, expected values, and error handling — so you can review each step independently Debugging: When something goes wrong, structured steps make it easy to identify exactly which step needs adjustment Consistency: Standardized formatting helps the AI agent interpret the AOP the same way every time, leading to more predictable behavior Think of formatting like punctuation in a sentence—it tells the agent where one thought ends and another begins, preventing misinterpretation.

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Tips for Writing Effective AOPs

Mention all systems involved: List every tool, app, or system your agent needs to access (e.g., “Hubspot,” “Gmail,” “our internal database”). Include decision points: Explain conditional steps clearly (e.g., “If the order is over 5,000,senditformanagerapproval.Ifunder5,000, send it for manager approval. If under 5,000, process it automatically”). Specify approval requirements: Tell the agent when you want to review actions before they’re finalized (e.g., “draft the email for my review before sending”). Define the output: Be clear about the end result (e.g., “save the report as a PDF in the shared folder” or “update the status field to ‘Complete’”).