Before You Prompt
- Deliverable: what exactly is produced?
- Audience: who reads or uses it?
- Sources: what material is available and who owns it?
- Success: how will you tell it is good?
Strong Fit and Weak Fit
| Strong fit | Weak fit | Better design |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesizing research | Exact calculation | Pull the number from the owning system; Claude explains it |
| Drafting and editing | Approvals needing authority | Claude drafts; a person approves |
| Planning and structuring | Data Claude cannot see | Provide the data or use a permitted connection |
| Analyzing material you provide | Final decisions on people | Claude informs; a person decides |
Decision Table
| If the question says... | The answer is likely... |
|---|---|
| New idea for using Claude on a team task | Define requirements, then pilot small with a baseline |
| Pilot results are mixed | Adjust the prompt or process and retest before expanding |
| Recurring monthly report | Project with a template and standing instructions |
| Request to connect Claude to internal systems | Escalate to the Developer or Architect team |
| Stakeholder asks "Can Claude do X?" | Answer with value, division of labor, and a review step |
| Old process built around a limit Claude removes | Redesign instead of just augmenting |
Traps
| Trap | Correct Answer |
|---|---|
| Roll out to the entire company first | Pilot, measure against a baseline, then expand |
| Say "Claude can do everything" | State what it does, what people do, and the review step |
| Say "Claude is unreliable, so no" | Use it where it fits and design the split of work |
| Start prompting before defining the result | Define deliverable, audience, sources, and success first |
If You Remember Nothing Else
- Projects hold what repeats; prompts hold what is one-off.
- Escalate system integrations to Developer or Architect.
- Answer "can Claude do X?" with division of labor and a review step.
- Pilot, measure, expand.