{
  "format": "minglabs/v1",
  "surface": "insights-concept",
  "slug": "what-is-the-abc-framework",
  "kind": "concept",
  "definedTerm": "ABC Framework",
  "url": "https://www.minglabs.com/insights/concepts/what-is-the-abc-framework",
  "htmlUrl": "https://www.minglabs.com/insights/concepts/what-is-the-abc-framework",
  "partOf": "https://www.minglabs.com/insights/concepts",
  "title": "What is the ABC Framework?",
  "standout": "Most teams ask which tool to use. ABC asks which layer of the role to assign.",
  "hook": "The ABC Framework decomposes any role into three layers — A: judgment and relationships (human-owned), B: structured expert work (mixed), C: routine operations (agent-owned). It is how MING Labs assigns ownership when designing human-agent teams.",
  "summary": "ABC is MING Labs' internal taxonomy for splitting work between humans and AI agents. A is human, C is agent, B is the contested middle.",
  "pillar": "Methodology",
  "author": {
    "name": "Sebastian Mueller",
    "role": "Founding Partner, MING Labs"
  },
  "datePublished": "2026-04-10",
  "dateModified": "2026-04-17",
  "freshness": {
    "updated": "April 2026",
    "nextReview": "October 2026"
  },
  "evidenceTier": "proprietary",
  "confidence": "B",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "S1",
      "title": "ABC Framework — internal taxonomy for human/agent role decomposition",
      "publisher": "MING Labs",
      "date": "2026-02-01",
      "supports": [
        "three-layer taxonomy definition"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "S2",
      "title": "Major Tom failure audit — capability vs. accountability findings",
      "publisher": "MING Labs (internal)",
      "date": "2026-03-30",
      "supports": [
        "Major Tom capability-without-domain diagnosis"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "q": "Why three layers and not two?",
      "a": "A binary human/agent split forces a premature choice on structured expert work — analysis, drafting, reporting — that is best done as a supervised collaboration. Layer B exists to name that contested middle so it can be designed deliberately rather than defaulted into a tool."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is the ABC Framework a job-replacement model?",
      "a": "No. It is a role-design model. It assumes the role stays; what changes is which layer of the role each party owns. Layer A (judgment, relationships, accountability) is non-negotiably human."
    },
    {
      "q": "Where did the ABC Framework come from?",
      "a": "It was extracted from operating MING Labs as a hybrid organisation since January 2026 — including the failure of Major Tom, which forced us to name the difference between giving an agent a capability and giving an agent a domain."
    }
  ],
  "parentArticleSlug": "we-fired-an-ai-agent",
  "relatedConceptSlugs": [
    "what-is-hybrid-organisation",
    "what-is-agent-experience"
  ]
}