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Research into two-party agentic delivery

Papers

Decisions, evidence, and operating methods for agentic AI outsourcing. Papers for boards, executives, delivery leaders, and service providers.

Phil Hatch / AkholiExplore the full study →

6 papers

Title page: The Board Audit for Agentic Outsourcing — Four Findings Require Immediate Examination. Phil Hatch, Akholi, October 23, 2026.

AAO-126 / Assurance and Audit

The Board Audit for Agentic Outsourcing

Reported control departures and manual alteration each reached 150 of 150 sampled engagements. The manual-alteration contrast is 100% of engagements versus under 1.3% of pooled disclosure answers. Bank boards should commission an independent portfolio audit covering provider delivery and the bank’s own readiness.

Buy-side Boards and Executives
Banking · Financial Services · 8 pages
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Title page: Measuring ROI in Agentic Outsourcing — Functional Baselines, Full Costs, and Recovered Value. Phil Hatch, Akholi, October 23, 2026.

AAO-125 / Economics and Value

Measuring ROI in Agentic Outsourcing

Measure the outsourced function before and after transition on a comparable price-and-performance basis. Establish full buyer cost and captured benefits, account for the investment, and repair the delivery constraints that consume value. A cheaper agent task or released capacity alone does not establish ROI.

Buy-side Boards and Executives · Buy-side Delivery and Vendor Managers · Service Providers
Cross-industry · 9 pages
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Title page: Training Every Party to Manage Agentic Outsourcing — Prove Capability Across the Delivery Relationship. Phil Hatch, Akholi, October 23, 2026.

AAO-124 / People and Capability

Training Every Party to Manage Agentic Outsourcing

Managing agentic outsourcing requires people in both firms to authorize work, challenge results, accept outcomes, disclose interventions, and recover the service. Train participating roles for those duties and test the relationship through joint rehearsal before expanding consequential authority.

Buy-side Boards and Executives · Buy-side Delivery and Vendor Managers · Service Providers
Cross-industry · 8 pages
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Title page: Redesigning Agentic Outsourcing — Optimize the Whole Delivery Method. Phil Hatch, Akholi, October 23, 2026.

AAO-123 / Delivery and Operations

Redesigning Agentic Outsourcing

Agentic AI changes the inputs, decisions, review, exceptions, and acceptance surrounding its assigned task. Buyers and providers should map and redesign the complete delivery method, then prove its business outcome before expanding autonomy.

Buy-side Boards and Executives · Buy-side Delivery and Vendor Managers
Cross-industry · 8 pages
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Title page: Manual Alterations in Agentic Outsourcing — What Bank Boards Must Audit Now. Phil Hatch, Akholi, October 23, 2026.

AAO-122 / Assurance and Audit

Manual Alterations in Agentic Outsourcing

100% of sampled engagements had reported manual alteration: 150 of 150. Under 1.3% of pooled disclosure answers reported discussion with the bank: 13 of 1,004 answers. Boards should independently reconstruct the service, its human contribution, and the account the bank received.

Buy-side Boards and Executives · Buy-side Delivery and Vendor Managers
Banking · Financial Services · 10 pages
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Title page: Bank Governance, Oversight, and Controls for Agentic Outsourcing — The Immediate Audit. Phil Hatch, Akholi, October 23, 2026.

AAO-121 / Governance and Accountability

Bank Governance, Oversight, and Controls for Agentic Outsourcing

Every one of the study’s 150 engagements contained a reported departure from intended governance, oversight, or control functions. Bank boards should commission an independent audit of delivery, contain material exposure, and require evidence that corrections operate.

Buy-side Boards and Executives
Banking · Financial Services · 10 pages
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