The 5 Stages of LLM Systems: From Playground Hacks to Real Architecture

Most LLM projects follow the same path: start with a single prompt, evolve into complex prompts, then linear chains, and eventually collapse into spaghetti flows. To escape the chaos, teams need architecture. This article introduces a simple maturity model for LLM systems - from scripts to orchestrators - and shows why the highest level requires structured roles, contracts, and resilience. That’s where AAC (Agent Action Chains) comes in.