4.7When to Use the Orchestrator Pattern

Best for:

• Multi-layer testing (UI + API + performance in one run)
• Feature-level test orchestration (one feature, multiple test types)
• Centralized reporting across test domains
• Teams with distinct testing specialties

Risks:

• The orchestrator becomes a bottleneck if it makes poor delegation decisions
• Single point of failure: if the orchestrator agent fails, all testing stops
• Over-engineering: for simple test suites, a single agent is simpler

Mitigation:

• Always log the delegation rationale for debugging
• Implement fallback: if a specialist fails, the orchestrator continues with others
• Set per-specialist timeouts so one slow specialist does not block the report