A complex request may mix information extraction, calculation, judgment and presentation. Decomposing it makes those activities explicit and identifies which outputs later stages depend on. The parts may run sequentially or independently when their dependencies allow it.
The division should preserve the original objective and provide clear ways to combine and verify results. Agreement between stages or agents does not prove that their shared assumptions are correct, and excessive splitting can add coordination costs without improving the outcome.
ELI5
A large assignment is easier to manage when you can see its smaller jobs. You might first collect facts, then do calculations and finally write a conclusion.
For example, an assistant preparing a delivery plan could extract the addresses, calculate route options and then compare them with the driver's time limits. Each step can be checked, but the final plan still needs to satisfy the whole request.
Does decomposition require several agents?
No. One person, program or agent can complete the smaller parts in sequence; using several agents is a separate design choice.
Does splitting a task guarantee accuracy?
No. Errors in an early step can affect later steps, and the combined result still needs independent checks against the original task.
