Chain Failure Radius

Chain Failure Radius is the framework for sizing how far a single agent failure propagates before a client notices. Orchestration replaces manual handoffs with automated sequences, so reliability stops being a per-tool property and becomes a per-chain property: the chain is only as dependable as its least governed step. Agencies should map each workflow by blast radius, not by agent count. A three-step chain where the final agent writes to a client CRM carries a wider radius than a twelve-step research chain that ends in a draft. Forrester's finding that 83% of B2C marketing decision makers already work with AI agents means clients now assume orchestration exists, so the differentiator shifts to containment. Practical test: for every chain you sell on retainer, name the step that fails silently, the human checkpoint that catches it, and the client-facing artifact it can corrupt. Chains that touch outbound communications or CRM records need review gates; internal research chains can run unattended.