The short answer
Write instructions for one recurring task: state the goal, the information to use, the required output and the points that need checking. Try them with different examples and let another colleague test whether they are understandable.
Choose one recurring job
An instruction such as “help with admin” leaves too much undefined. “Prepare a draft weekly client update from these approved project notes” gives the task a boundary.
Describe who will use the result, what source information is appropriate and what must be left for a person to decide.
Give colleagues a useful structure
A repeatable brief separates the task rules from the information that changes each time. Keep required inputs visible so somebody can spot what is missing.
- Task: what needs preparing and for whom?
- Context: what background is needed for this job?
- Sources: which approved information should be used?
- Output: what should the result contain and how should it be organised?
- Limits: what should be left unresolved or referred to a person?
- Checks: what must somebody verify before using the result?
Illustrative example: a weekly project update
Ask for a draft update organised by progress, open questions and next steps, based only on the supplied approved notes. Ask it to leave missing dates as questions and identify decisions that require the project owner.
The owner then checks the draft against the notes and approves it before sharing. This is a sample working method, not a claim that every project can use the same instruction.
Treat useful instructions as something to maintain
Test an incomplete input and an unusual example. Ask another colleague to use the brief without an explanation from its author, and improve any ambiguous steps.
Record who maintains the instructions and which source material they depend on. A current, understandable set of task rules is more useful than a large folder of prompts nobody owns.
Reusable instructions should make the task, the inputs and the checks clear to the next person.
A few related questions
Can one instruction cover every task?
Different jobs need different inputs, outputs and checks. Start with one task and share a structure where it is useful.
Should we copy confidential examples into a template?
Use appropriate or fictional examples and follow your organisation’s information rules. Keep changing task data separate from reusable instructions.
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Put the idea to work
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