Agentic Coding Strategy: What Works, What Backfires

The honest answer is not "use agents" or "buy the biggest model." The best agentic coding strategy depends on the shape of the task. The pattern I trust right now: Small, sequential work: one strong agent with tight context. Large, parallel work: specialized agents with clear handoffs. Production work: specs before code, tests after code, and deterministic checks between phases. Cost-sensitive work: route easy steps to cheaper models and reserve frontier models for ambiguity, architecture, and review. Familiar codebases: use AI carefully. It can slow experienced developers down.