A definition of done for your AI work
An AI draft can look finished before it is ready to use. This guide helps you decide what “done” means, ask for a useful review, and make the final call yourself.
You’ll leave with a short set of checks for one piece of work, plus a record of what still needs attention.
Before you start
Open the AI chat you use for this work, such as ChatGPT or Claude. Bring your original request and the draft you want to check. If you’re starting a new chat, paste both in first.
Replace the words in square brackets before sending each prompt. Use material you’re comfortable sharing with that tool. You can try the example below if you don’t have a draft handy.
Agree what done means
Start here before asking AI to do the work. If you already have a draft, this is still useful: it gives you something specific to review it against.
Prompt 1 · Set your criteriaHelp me define what “done” means for this task. Task: [what I need to make] Who will use it: [the person or audience] What they need to do next: [the intended action] Requirements: [facts, format, tone, or constraints that matter] Ask me about any missing information that would change the result. Then suggest up to five specific checks. Each check should describe something I can observe. Do not invent requirements or start the task yet.
You should get a short list you can actually check, such as “the invitation includes a working registration link.” Change anything that doesn’t fit your task. Keep the list with your original request.
Review the finished work
Once you have a draft, paste this into the same conversation. Include your agreed checks and the finished work if they aren’t already there.
Prompt 2 · Review against your checksReview the draft against the original request and the checks we agreed on. For each check, report: met, needs work, or not verified. Point to the part of the draft that supports your answer. Explain what you actually checked and what you could not check. Do not treat a confident statement as evidence. List the fixes needed before I use this. Keep suggestions that are merely nice to have separate. Leave decisions that need my judgment for me to make.
Look for evidence tied to each check and an honest list of unknowns. Open the links yourself, compare facts with their sources, and try anything someone else will need to use. An AI review can help you spot gaps; it cannot supply evidence it hasn’t seen.
Ask again when the answer is vague
If the review says everything looks good without showing why, use this follow-up. It’s also fine to stop and check the work yourself.
Follow-up · Ask for evidenceYour review is too general for me to act on. Take each agreed check in turn. Quote the relevant part of the draft, explain what you verified, and name any evidence you are missing. If you cannot verify a check, mark it “not verified” and tell me what I need to check myself. Do not give an overall approval.
The reply should name specific gaps or give evidence you can inspect. If it keeps repeating an assurance, leave that item unchecked until you have verified it.
What this looks like in practice
Illustrative example: an invitation to a small-business AI workshop.
- The request
- Write an invitation for a workshop on 12 October, from 10–11 am Pacific. The reader needs to know who it’s for, what to bring, and how to register.
- The agreed check
- The invitation includes the date, time zone, preparation instructions, and a working registration link.
- What the review finds
- The draft says “Monday at 10” and includes “Register here” without a link. Those items need work. Whether registration works is still not verified.
- The human check
- Add the full date and time zone, insert the correct link, then open it and confirm it reaches the right event. Only then tick that check.
If you get stuck
The AI says it checked a source I didn’t provide
Ask it to identify the exact source and what it read. Open the source yourself. If neither of you can access it, keep that claim marked “not verified.”
The list keeps getting longer
Return to the original request. Keep the checks needed for this task, and put optional improvements aside. You can finish without accepting every suggestion.
Your final check
Tick these as you go. The ticks reset when you leave this page.
Keep going when you’re ready.
Pick another guide for the next problem you’re working on.