Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand
AI Agent Design Framework
Powered by RockMouse · 2026
CA ANZ Confidential
May 2026 · Draft v1.0
RockMouse Consulting
Six design principles
P1
Human-in-the-Loop Always
Every AI output requires human review and explicit approval before it reaches candidates, markers, or members. AI drafts; humans decide.
P2
Context Before Content
Every agent is anchored in CA ANZ's specific programs, rubrics, standards, and capability model — not generic AI outputs for a hypothetical learner.
P3
Additive, Not Disruptive
Agents augment existing team workflows. They reduce the least rewarding manual work and redirect expert time to where judgement matters most.
P4
Data for Learning, Not Surveillance
Candidate and member data informs personalised learning. It stays within the learning journey — never used for performance management or HR decisions.
P5
Progressive Complexity
Pilots start narrow — one subject, one source, one use case. Confidence and governance frameworks are built before scaling. No big-bang deployments.
P6
TEQSA-Defensible by Design
Academic integrity is non-negotiable. Every agent in the assessment pipeline maintains a full audit trail. HEP obligations shape every design decision.
Five agent types
Content Agent — monitors, updates, and drafts content
Assessment Agent — marks, gives feedback, and calibrates
Coach Agent — roleplay, scenarios, and practice conversations
Insights Agent — surfaces patterns, clusters input, and reports
Mapper Agent — connects skills, goals, pathways, and CPD
Governance and risk framework
LOW RISK — START HERE
Content monitoring agents. No candidate PII. Public data sources only. IT approval straightforward. Build confidence here before advancing.
MEDIUM RISK — STAGE CAREFULLY
Coaching and insights agents. Internal data access required. Change management sensitivity. Staged rollout and teaching team involvement recommended.
HIGH RISK — GOVERN FIRST
Assessment feedback agents. Candidate PII in AI pipeline. TEQSA HEP implications. Full legal, IT, and academic integrity sign-off required before any pilot.

Each agent type represents a distinct architecture, interaction pattern, and governance profile. Understanding the types helps CA ANZ stakeholders evaluate agents on consistent terms and make informed decisions about sequencing and investment.

📡
Agent Type 01
Content Agent
Monitors the world so your content team doesn't have to

A Content Agent operates as an always-on monitoring and drafting layer. It watches designated external sources — regulatory bodies, standard setters, and research organisations — and detects changes that affect CA ANZ's content. When a change is detected, it generates a structured brief and routes it to the appropriate content owner. It can also draft first-pass content — storyboards, module outlines, and update summaries — for human author review. The Content Agent never publishes. It informs and accelerates; humans write and approve.

Primary function
Monitor → Detect → Brief → Draft → Route to human for approval
Data requirements
Public source feeds (RSS, web). Internal content index and topic metadata. No candidate PII involved.
Interaction mode
Automated and triggered. Content owner receives brief and decides to act, defer, or dismiss.
Governance overhead
Low. Public data only. Read-only API access to internal metadata requires IT approval. No candidate data involved.
Process flow
1
Source monitoring (ATO, IFAC, AASB, ASIC…)
2
Change detected and classified
3
Affected subjects identified
4
Change brief drafted
5
Routed to content owner for action
Human gate: The content owner reviews every brief and decides whether to act. No content is updated automatically. The agent informs and prioritises — it does not edit.
CA ANZ agents of this type
Content Currency Agent CPD Storyboard Agent CPD Demand Signal Agent
📝
Agent Type 02
Assessment Agent
Reduces the cost and increases the quality of feedback at scale

An Assessment Agent operates across two distinct modes. In Mode A (Knowledge Check), it engages candidates before a formal assessment — presenting questions mapped to learning outcomes, analysing responses, and delivering an instant readiness report with a personalised study path. No PII is required and no human gate is needed. In Mode B (Marker Assist), it sits inside the formal marking pipeline — generating structured draft feedback on candidate submissions for human marker review and approval before release.

Mode A — knowledge check
Candidate-initiated, ungraded, no PII required. Instant readiness report and personalised study path. No human gate needed. Pilot immediately.
Mode B — marker assist
AI drafts criterion-by-criterion feedback. Human marker reviews, edits, and approves. Full audit trail maintained. No feedback reaches candidates without marker sign-off.
Data requirements
Mode A: learning outcomes and question bank only. Mode B: candidate submissions (PII), marking rubrics (IP), enrolment data for routing.
Governance overhead
Mode A: Low — no PII, ungraded. Mode B: High — Privacy Act, TEQSA HEP obligations, IT sign-off, and academic integrity committee endorsement all required.
Mode B process flow
1
Submission received from D2L or Janison
2
Rubric and criteria ingested
3
AI draft feedback generated
4
Marker reviews and approves
5
Approved feedback released to candidate
Mandatory human gate (Mode B): No feedback reaches a candidate without explicit marker approval. The full audit trail — AI draft, marker edits, and final approved version — is retained for every submission. This is non-negotiable and must be architected from day one.
CA ANZ agents of this type
Assessment Agent (Mode A — Knowledge Check) Assessment Agent (Mode B — Marker Assist) Cohort Insights Agent
💬
Agent Type 03
Coach Agent
Scales the kind of practice that was previously impossible to deliver online

A Coach Agent engages candidates or members in structured conversational experiences — scenario-based roleplay, ethical dilemmas, stakeholder simulations, and reflective coaching dialogues. It plays a role (client, regulator, sceptical board member, non-finance stakeholder) and responds dynamically to the learner's choices. After each interaction, it provides a personalised debrief anchored in the CA Capability Model. The scenario library, personas, and debrief frameworks are designed and approved by the teaching or content team before deployment.

Primary function
Present scenario → Engage in dialogue → Adapt to learner choices → Debrief against CA Capability Model
Data requirements
Teaching team-approved scenario library. CA Capability Model mapping. Candidate identity for progress tracking (optional at MVP).
Interaction mode
Conversational and adaptive. Candidate-initiated, self-paced. Can be embedded in D2L as an ungraded formative activity.
Governance overhead
Low to medium. Scenario content requires teaching team review. No PII at MVP. No grade implications — significantly reduces academic integrity risk.
Process flow
1
Candidate selects scenario type
2
AI plays assigned role or persona
3
Dialogue adapts to responses
4
Candidate makes decisions
5
Structured capability debrief delivered
Pre-deployment gate: The Coach Agent requires no real-time human approval — but its scenario library, personas, and debrief frameworks must be reviewed and approved by the teaching team before the agent is made available to candidates.
CA ANZ agents of this type
Soft Skills Drill Agent AI Fluency Practice Coach Climate Disclosures Practice Agent Finance Business Partner Coach
🔍
Agent Type 04
Insights Agent
Surfaces patterns that would take weeks to find manually

An Insights Agent analyses qualitative and quantitative data — assessment performance, learner reflections, market signals, and SME interview transcripts — and surfaces patterns that would otherwise require significant manual effort to identify. It clusters, synthesises, and reports. It does not make decisions; it makes data legible so that humans can make better decisions faster. In the CA ANZ context, Insights Agents serve the teaching team (cohort performance patterns), the product team (emerging CPD demand signals), and the content team (SME knowledge extraction).

Primary function
Ingest data → Cluster and synthesise → Surface patterns → Generate plain-language report for human decision-makers
Data requirements
Varies by agent. Can be public signals (CPD Demand), de-identified cohort data (Cohort Insights), or structured SME input (Knowledge Extraction).
Interaction mode
Scheduled or triggered. Delivers reports to named recipients. Can support an interactive query layer where teams ask follow-up questions of the synthesised data.
Governance overhead
Low to medium depending on data sensitivity. Public signals = Low. De-identified cohort data = Medium. Individual learner data must never be surfaced without a consent framework in place.
Process flow
1
Data ingested from defined sources
2
Patterns and clusters identified
3
Key signals ranked by significance
4
Plain-language report generated
5
Delivered to decision-maker for action
Data principle: Insights Agents surface aggregate patterns — not individual learner data. Individual performance data belongs to the learning journey, not to management reporting. This boundary is set in the agent design, not managed case-by-case.
CA ANZ agents of this type
SME Knowledge Extraction Agent Cohort Insights Agent CPD Demand Signal Agent Behaviour Change Tracker Graduate Development Insights Agent
🗺
Agent Type 05
Mapper Agent
Connects what a learner knows to what they need, and shows them the path

A Mapper Agent is a connective intelligence layer. It takes what is known about a learner — self-assessment results, subject completions, exam performance, CPD history, career stage, or employer capability framework — and maps it against a structured model: the CA Capability Model, subject learning outcomes, CPD catalogue, or a B2B client's internal framework. It then generates a personalised output: a study plan, a CPD pathway, a readiness assessment, or a capability gap report. The Mapper Agent makes the invisible visible — showing learners and employers where they are and what comes next.

Primary function
Map learner state → Against a structured model → Identify gaps and strengths → Generate personalised pathway or plan
Data requirements
Learner self-assessment or performance data. CA Capability Model or relevant employer framework. CPD catalogue or subject index. Career goal input (optional).
Interaction mode
Self-service (member-initiated) or scheduled (post-exam, post-subject). Output is a personalised report or plan that can be refreshed as the learner progresses.
Governance overhead
Low to medium. Uses learner data with consent. No external PII exposure. CPD Pathway Recommender requires CA Capability+ API access — confirm with product team.
Process flow
1
Learner profile or input gathered
2
Mapped against capability model
3
Gaps and strengths identified
4
Personalised pathway or plan generated
5
Delivered as report or study plan
Member control: Mapper Agent outputs are always delivered to the learner or member themselves. They decide whether to act on the recommendations. No employer or third party receives individual data without explicit consent.
CA ANZ agents of this type
Exam Readiness Mapper CPD Pathway Recommender Workplace Capability Mapper