AI Workflow

An AI workflow is a short chain of small steps that takes your material to a finished result, with a check on the steps that matter and a person looking where judgment is needed. Because each step is small, each one can be checked and fixed on its own.

One prompt

One prompt does a short job well: rewrite an email, explain a term.

In a Real Template

This template is a workflow of three steps. Each step has one job, written as a line a person could follow by hand, and each one has a check that can fail.

Step 1: Pull out decisions

Find every decision in the notes, and copy the line each one comes from.

Step 2: List the actions

Find every action, with its owner and date, and flag any that are missing one.

Step 3: Note open questions

List the questions the meeting left open, and who should answer each.

The check after step 1

Every item quotes its note

What to notice: Asked for in one prompt, a decision that was made up or an action with no owner would be buried in one long answer. Here each list is short, and each has a check of its own.

From the template Turn meeting notes into decisions and actions.

Easy to Mix Up

One promptA single request for the whole job. It suits a short job, and for a long one it hides which part went wrong.
A templateA ready-made workflow with its inputs, steps and checks, free to use and change. The workflow is the idea, the template is one you can pick up.
An AI agentAn agent chooses its own next move as it goes. A workflow follows the steps and checks written down in advance.

Go Deeper

Lesson 1: What a workflow isWhen one prompt is enough, and when a workflow is worth building.The Logic Lab methodThe five ideas behind every template.Turn meeting notes into decisions and actionsThe template quoted above, with its checks.