HAIMO, Human-AI Management Office

HAIMO · Education in managing AI agents

Leading people and managing agents

A shared method for managing AI agents,
with education for those responsible.

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The management gap

AI is changing who does the work

Management must evolve to support the people responsible for the results.

Companies are deploying AI agents into everyday work. That creates new responsibilities for the people who lead it.

HAIMO gives teams a common way to
manage that work.

A new approach to management

People

People remain responsible for decisions and outcomes.

AI agents

Every agent works within an agreed remit.

Visibility

Leaders can see work that needs their attention.

Accountability

Owners are named and intervention is possible.

The challenge

  1. AI agents are already doing business workThey prepare responses, process information and act inside workflows. Their outputs affect customers and employees.
  2. New work, old management habitsSomeone must decide which tasks an agent may do and when a person must step in.
  3. Different teams need one working methodWithout shared records and review points, each team invents its own rules for the same technology.
  4. Managers need more than access to the toolThey need to know how to brief an agent, question its output and respond when it fails.
  5. Leaders need a useful view of the whole operationA team lead needs task-level detail; executives need to know where responsibility and business exposure sit.
70%

of AI implementation challenges identified by BCG relate to people and processes, not technology alone.

66%

of surveyed board directors and executives say their boards have limited or no AI knowledge or experience.

21%

report agentic-AI governance capabilities, although 71% expect agent deployment within 12 months.

37%

of respondents report a positive organizational EBIT contribution from AI.

Sources: BCG press release, October 24, 2024. Deloitte Global Boardroom Program, Governance of AI, 2nd edition (2025). Gartner press release, October 19, 2026. McKinsey, The state of AI in 2026: On the road to ROI (August 2026).

Accountability cannot disappear

An AI agent can perform work.
A person must remain answerable for what happens.

What a project management office does for projects, HAIMO does for AI agents

A PMO gives teams a common way to plan and oversee projects. HAIMO applies that management principle to work involving AI agents, without requiring every business to create a new department.

One method, used by every team

Education that supports the method

  1. The Agent Management HandbookA common reference for everyday agent work.
  2. Self-paced resourcesGuidance people can use when a real task arises.
  3. Live workshopsPractice using situations from the organization.
  4. Team Leader CohortFocused on the manager’s responsibilities.
  5. Leadership programsFrom executive briefings to a founding program.

Where HAIMO fits in AI transformation

Technical teams build and maintain AI systems. HAIMO concentrates on how the business manages their work and supports the people responsible.

At every levelCompanyTeamsIndividualsExternal partnersCustomers

The AI agent life cycle

Try the management decisions behind an agent. Choose a role, then see where human review belongs before the work can proceed.

Worth doing?Ready to launch?Still worth running?Ready to end?
ProposeDesired outcome
DesignBrief
ProveTest
LaunchGo live
RunRead work
ChangeRe-prove
RetireEnd well

A common method makes AI agent growth manageable

Every program comes with a shared library: handbooks, playbooks, one-pagers, infographics and short films.

Support for every level of the organization

People crossing a busy hall, seen from above

Every agent needs a named owner

People remain responsible for the work an agent performs on their behalf.

Learn HAIMO

Education and practical guidance for the people now managing work alongside AI agents. Choose the level that matches your responsibilities.

Agent ManagementIndividuals and managers

  • Agent Management Handbook and PlaybookSelf-paced guidance for people working with AI agents.
  • Team Leader CohortExploring how managers assign responsibility and review agent-enabled work.
  • Executive WorkshopA half-day session on leadership decisions arising from agent use.

The Human-AI Management OfficeLeadership teams

  • Board and Executive BriefingAn examination of the management responsibilities AI agents introduce.
  • The HAIMO DayA one-day working session using an existing workflow to examine agent ownership and human review.
  • HAIMO Founding ProgramTwelve weeks to develop the organization’s own approach to managing AI-enabled work.
Tarja Stephens
Tarja StephensLinkedInConnect with Tarjatarjastephens.comVisit her website

From the project management office to HAIMO

The purpose of a management office has always been to help people do their work better.

Tarja Stephens learned this firsthand through more than a decade leading complex international operations. As a senior executive and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, she built project management offices and led operational excellence initiatives across international teams.

The value of these offices was never simply about reporting or procedures. It was about giving people a shared understanding of the work.

When everyone works from the same management system, decisions become clearer. Problems can be addressed before they affect the entire operation. Leaders gain the visibility to support their teams, while people spend less time navigating organizational complexity.

That experience became the foundation for a new question.

What happens when the workforce is no longer made up of humans alone?

AI agents are entering business operations, taking on responsibilities that previously belonged to employees. Yet the management structures overseeing that work were designed for human teams.

Companies may know which AI systems they have purchased, but do they know how those systems are managed as part of everyday work? Who has the authority to intervene when an agent makes a mistake? These are management questions, not simply technology questions.

HAIMO, the Human-AI Management Office, brings established management discipline into this new environment. Building on the principles of operational excellence, it gives leadership a clearer view of AI-enabled operations, establishes how responsibility is assigned and how agent activity is supervised, and helps the people accountable for the work retain the authority to manage it. The intention is not another layer of bureaucracy, but more effective management as the nature of work changes.

Today, Tarja brings this perspective to her executive advisory work and to her research as co-author of The Human-Agent Orchestrator. The principle remains the one she built her first management offices on: the system exists to serve the people doing the work. HAIMO extends it to a workforce where humans and intelligent agents work together.

What better management makes possible

AI investment produces value when the resulting work improves the business. HAIMO helps organizations examine the management conditions behind that improvement.

01

Improve the entire workflow

Look beyond a single automated task to the delays and rework around it.

02

Make better investment decisions

Compare an AI agent’s actual contribution with the cost and effort of operating it.

03

Help managers adapt

Prepare people for changed responsibilities rather than assuming a course alone will change the work.

04

Expand with confidence

Use clear review points before extending agent activity to more of the business.

Help shape practical human-AI management

We welcome discussion with organizations testing how agent-enabled work should be managed. Share what your teams are learning or explore collaboration.

Explore collaboration

Who manages AI agents in your organization?

Tell us what your team is trying to manage. We will help you identify the most relevant HAIMO material or program.

Request information

Or contact info@leadersofthefuture.com.

Questions and answers

What is HAIMO?

HAIMO is a management method for work involving AI agents, supported by education and practical resources. It is based on the same principle as a project management office: teams need a shared way to oversee complex work.

Is HAIMO software?

No. HAIMO is a method and education offer, not an AI platform. It is designed to work alongside an organization’s existing systems.

Does HAIMO build the agents?

No. The organization and its technical partners remain responsible for the agents they develop or deploy. HAIMO focuses on how their work is managed.

Where does HAIMO fit?

HAIMO is a supporting layer for your AI transformation. It brings management, leadership and education to your AI initiatives, whatever tools and technology you use, and gives everyone a common language.

Is HAIMO tied to a technology provider?

No. The approach is technology-neutral. Its application depends on the organization’s systems and controls.

Who manages HAIMO internally?

Your organization decides how to apply the method. The aim is to equip your existing leaders and teams, rather than require a permanent external office.

Where should we begin?

Start with the management question your organization needs to address. The program descriptions explain the available formats; our team can help you choose.

Leading people and managing agents

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