01 / START HERE
A useful way to approach it.
A project update should explain what changed and what the reader needs to do. Rough notes often contain those ingredients in the wrong order. Supply your facts and audience, then ask for a draft that preserves the meaning without invented progress or promises.
This text workflow suits a brief, update, customer answer, or proposal section. Share permitted material and remove unnecessary confidential details. The fictional before-and-after example is authored text, not a delivered message or evidence of real project progress.
02 / THE PROCESS
Go from question to next step.
- 01
Identify the reader and the job
Write who will read the document and what they should understand or decide. A technical handoff, a client update, and a customer response need different detail. Choose the document's primary job before asking for a style. 'Friendly and professional' does not tell the assistant which information the reader actually needs.
- 02
Separate facts from unfinished notes
Provide confirmed facts, questions, and proposed statements as distinct inputs. Keep dates, quantities, names, and commitments exact where they matter. Label tentative information and explain what cannot be included. If an important detail is missing, ask the assistant to flag it rather than supplying a plausible replacement.
- 03
Draft an audience-shaped structure
Ask for the main point first, supporting context next, and the required action last. Specify a useful format and length, such as a short update with three bullets or a one-page decision brief. Include only the detail needed for the reader's task. A shorter draft should not remove conditions that change the meaning.
- 04
Check the draft against the inputs
Compare every factual statement and promise with your notes. Look for added certainty, implied approval, invented customer evidence, and dates that were only suggestions. Verify that the document answers the original question. Read the requested action independently: the recipient should know who needs to do what and which details still require confirmation.
- 05
Revise for clarity and deliver deliberately
Request one focused revision, such as removing jargon, shortening repetition, or making the next step explicit. Preserve verified facts while changing tone. Read the final draft in context and use your normal process to approve, save, or send it. Generating a reply does not mean it was delivered or accepted by its recipient.
03 / YOUR STARTING POINT
A prompt you can make your own.
Replace the bracketed fields. Add only information you have permission to share. This is a reusable text prompt; it does not run a task from this page.
Turn these rough notes into {{document_type}} for {{audience}}: {{notes}}. Confirmed facts: {{facts}}. Unresolved details: {{unknowns}}. The reader should {{next_action}}. Lead with the main point, use plain language, and keep the draft within {{length}}. Preserve dates, quantities, conditions, and commitments exactly. Do not invent progress, approval, customer evidence, or missing answers. After the draft list any factual gap and three checks I should complete before sharing. Treat this as text for review, not a sent message.04 / SEE THE SHAPE OF IT
Illustrative project-update revision
Fictional notes and authored wording. No actual project status is asserted and no client message was sent.
| Rough note | Proposed wording | Review check |
|---|---|---|
| 'Copy done, photos not yet' | The copy draft is ready; photos are still needed. | Is 'draft' the correct stage? |
| 'Client maybe Thursday' | Please confirm when you can review the copy. | Do not invent a Thursday commitment |
| 'Layout waits on image sizes' | We need image dimensions before finalizing the layout. | Confirm the actual dependency |
| 'Ask for files' | Please send the approved photo files and dimensions. | Name the intended recipient and channel |
Clearer prose can retain uncertainty. The revision does not turn a possible review date into a promise or a draft into approved work.
05 / KEEP YOUR JUDGMENT
What to watch before you use it.
Asking for tone before purpose
A polished document can still fail to answer the reader's question. Define the job and required action before revising its voice.
Making uncertainty sound resolved
Watch for stronger verbs or removed qualifications. Keep an unknown visible until somebody supplies the missing fact.
Overwriting the reader's context
Explain unfamiliar terms when needed, but do not repeat background everybody already knows. Match detail to the actual audience.
06 / THE FINAL PASS
A little review goes a long way.
Your checks stay on this page. They do not approve or run a task.
07 / GOOD QUESTIONS
Before you begin.
Can I use the same prompt for every business document?
Reuse the structure, but replace the audience, document job, inputs, and next action. A customer reply should answer the customer's issue; a decision brief should compare options.
How do I keep my own voice?
Supply a short example you have permission to use and name what to preserve, such as direct openings or brief paragraphs. Ask for a focused adaptation rather than a vague personality imitation. Check that the revised draft still sounds appropriate in context.
What if the assistant adds an impressive claim?
Ask which supplied fact supports it. If there is no adequate support, remove or qualify it. Do not keep invented progress, statistics, or customer evidence simply because it makes the document more persuasive.