What good looks like

Before you build, write down what a good answer looks like, because the assistant will do what you specify and nothing more.

A good answer to a team question is short, gives the answer first, says where it came from ("per the expenses policy, section 3"), tells the person what to do next if relevant, and, crucially, says "I do not have that" when it does not have it, and names who to ask. That last behaviour is the whole difference between an assistant people trust and one they stop using after it confidently misleads them once.

Write three example answers by hand, for three of your top questions, in that shape. They are the standard the assistant will be built and tested against.

In practice. A team lead wrote her three model answers and realised the most important line in each was the source. "Per the leave policy on the intranet, updated March." Her team had been asking her because they did not trust the documents to be current. The assistant citing the date fixed that.

At your desk. Write three model answers by hand, for three of your top questions. Answer first, source, next step, and what it should say if the question is outside its knowledge.

Write it down.

• My three model answers cover:
• The line about sources:
• What it says when it does not know: