All worked examples

Draft three versions and pick the best

Sample

Three versions of one text, each rated against your criteria, and the winner picked by the first criterion.

Sample results: runs and scores on this page are illustrations while testing is set up. How we test

What goes in: the brief
A text to volunteers
Brief: Saturday pickup moves to Maple Hall on Saturday, November 14, 9 am to noon. Park behind the hall. Reply by Wednesday, November 11 if you cannot come.
Reader: Volunteers, most reading on a phone.
Good means 1: The date and time are easy to spot.
Good means 2: Under 60 words.
Good means 3: Friendly, not bossy.
Next: the first step runs
Step 1Write three versions
Step 2Rate each version against your criteria
Step 3Keep the winner and say why

What each check found

  1. Write three versions
    All three versions are there (A plain rule)
    ProblemFirst try: the answer stopped after Version B. Version C was missing.
    CheckSecond try: Version A, Version B and Version C are all there.
    Failed once, so the step ran again with the problem pointed out. Passed.
  2. Rate each version against your criteria
    Every rating is strong, partly or weak (A plain rule)
    CheckAll 9 ratings say strong, partly or weak, each with a reason.
    Passed, on to the next step.
  3. Keep the winner and say why
    A winner is named (A plain rule)
    CheckThe answer starts with Winner: Version A.
    Passed, on to the final checks.
  4. Finished
    You agree with the winner (You check this one)
    Your turn. This check is yours.
Use this templateChange it in the Editor

More to step through

Turn meeting notes into decisions and actionsMessy notes in, a clean record out, with the one gap flagged instead of guessed.Write a summary of a long documentA long report split into parts, each part summarized, one wrong number caught and fixed.Review a draft before you send itOne draft read from two angles, with two claims the sources do not back, ranked into a fix list.Scope a job before you startA vague request turned into what is in, what is out, what done looks like and when to stop.Compare options and get a recommendationThree options on one table, the tie dropped, one recommendation and the runner-up's case.Build your "how I like work done" fileAnswers turned into rules, tested on a real task, one rule reworded, then one file to paste.Fact-check against sourcesFive claims tested against quoted passages, with two wrong figures and one claim no source backs.Find themes in commentsEight comments labeled, grouped into three themes and counted, each theme backed by two real quotes.Remove personal informationNine details swapped for placeholders, nothing else changed, and a short list of what a person must still check.See a workflow runThe parts, lit one at a time.