What are the five inputs?
The five inputs describe the job and give you a basis for checking the draft. Write them before adding your source material.
Context
Describe the business, customer and situation the draft needs to fit.
Task
Ask for one job, such as a customer reply or an itemised quote.
Source
Supply the notes, documents or approved facts the assistant should use.
Rules
State what to preserve, flag or leave out. Include your approval limits.
Output
Name the format and the information the finished draft needs to contain.
How do you use them for a quote?
Start with the site notes, measurements and price list you already use. Adapt the instruction below, then add a safe copy of that source material.
We’re a service business preparing a quote for a homeowner. Turn the supplied site notes into a draft quote. Use only these notes, measurements and the attached price list. Itemise labour and materials. Keep the supplied prices unchanged and flag missing information. Return a scope summary, itemised table, total including GST and questions for me to check.
Follow the complete example with source notes, figures and a draft quote.
What if the first draft is wrong?
It adds a fact you did not supply.
Point to the unsupported claim. Supply the missing fact or ask the assistant to leave it as a question for you. Check the next draft for the same problem.
It ignores your usual format.
Provide the headings or a safe example of the finished document. Specify what belongs under each heading, then compare the new draft with that structure.
It gives the customer too much background.
State which question the reply needs to answer. Ask for the facts that resolve it and remove background the customer did not request.
What should you check before using the draft?
Compare names, dates, figures and claims with your source. Recalculate totals. Check that the draft answers the request and stays within your scope. The person responsible for the work approves the final version.
How do you reuse the prompt?
Save the instructions with a safe example of a checked result. For the next job, replace the source material rather than reusing the previous customer’s facts.
Update the rules when your prices, policies or document format change. Run a fresh example and check it before using the revised prompt on more work.