Adoption Sequence
Description
Section titled “Description”Adopt retrieval-reasoning architecture incrementally. Most systems should begin with strong retrieval, then add routing, then add exhaustive reasoning where retrieval alone fails.
Sequence
Section titled “Sequence”- Build a robust focused retrieval path first.
- Add a lightweight router to classify query type.
- Introduce exhaustive reasoning only for failure-prone query classes.
- Add hybrid pre-filter plus exhaustive reasoning for large, constrained analyses.
- Monitor, evaluate, and tune route policy continuously.
Why This Order
Section titled “Why This Order”- Most real traffic is focused lookup and does not require exhaustive reasoning.
- Routing before exhaustive reasoning limits cost exposure.
- Narrowly scoped exhaustive paths are easier to validate and govern.
Metrics to Track
Section titled “Metrics to Track”- Route distribution: focused vs exhaustive vs hybrid.
- Latency by route and query class.
- Cost per answer by route.
- Quality outcomes by route (completeness, correctness, user acceptance).
- Escalation or fallback rates.
Governance Notes
Section titled “Governance Notes”- Define explicit criteria for exhaustive routing.
- Keep route decisions auditable in execution records.
- Periodically review false-route cases and update policy.
Source Note
Section titled “Source Note”This concept split is synthesized from the RAG + RLM architecture framing in: https://blog.themenonlab.com/blog/rag-plus-rlm-complete-knowledge-base-architecture