01 · The framework
Every assignment needs five things.
- Task. Name the deliverable.
Draft a project update,
nothelp with this project.
- Context. Upload the documents. Give the facts, the background, and the constraints.
- Reader and purpose. Say who will read it and what it needs to do.
- Format. Give the length, structure, and tone.
- The standard. Paste a past example you liked, or describe what good looks like.
02 · A work example
Before and after.
Weak
“Summarize these meeting notes.”
Strong
“Summarize the attached Acme meeting notes for a project manager preparing the next client update. Focus on decisions about the delivery date and budget, and flag anything that needs attention. Two pages max, with links to sources. Follow the style of the attached project summary.”
The stronger assignment supplies all five: the task, the source material, the reader and purpose, the format, and an example to follow.
03 · Make it a habit
Ask Claude.
Once: save it to memory
“Remember for all work: rely only on sources you found or I gave you, show me where each came from, and quote the exact language.”
Before you start
“Improve this prompt: [paste your prompt]”
Paste your rough prompt. Claude gives you a fillable template for the context it needs. Fill it in and send it back.
After the draft
“How can this be improved?”
Ask once the draft is done. Pick the fixes you want and add your own notes, like Paragraph 2 overstates the findings.