IT & Data · All retail

Model Routing Guardrail

Queries over-spending on premium models. Routes to the cheapest that clears the bar.

Target KPI Cost per query
Executes in ≤ 1 hour
System of record Ward routing layer · BYO-LLM
Trigger condition

A workload runs on a premium model while a cheaper one clears the quality bar on that workload in the eval harness.

Write-back

Routing policy updated in the Ward layer against the workload; eval results and the promotion decision logged.

Every write is gated on an approver role you name. Nothing runs unattended.

Procedure
  1. Score every candidate model against the workload on your own evaluation cases, not on public benchmarks.
  2. Find the cheapest model that clears the quality bar for that specific workload, which varies by workload far more than by vendor.
  3. Shadow the change before promoting it, so the comparison is on live traffic rather than a fixture.
  4. Promote through the same review as any other config change, with the eval delta recorded.
  5. Close when cost falls and eval scores hold for a full week of live traffic.
Outcome metric

Cost per query for the workload with the eval score held within tolerance. A cost win with a quality loss is a rollback.

The case closes on this number, not on the action being taken. A playbook without a close condition is a dashboard.

Run Model Routing Guardrail on your data.

Pick three playbooks from the catalog. We wire them against your system of record for the pilot.

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