Reference: 7 of 12
Hand-Off
A hand-off is what one step passes to the next, always in the same shape, such as a table with the same columns. A fixed shape lets the next step use the result without guessing, and lets a check read it.
Said in the prompt
The prompt for step 1 says exactly what to hand back: these columns, in this order, and nothing else.
In a Real Template
Step 2 of the meeting notes template hands back one table with six fixed columns, and says what to write when a cell has nothing to put in it.
Return exactly one markdown table and nothing else:| # | Action | Owner | Due date | Source line | Follow up |
- If an action has no named owner, write NOT STATED in the Owner column. If it has no date, write NOT STATED in the Due date column.A fixed shape lets the next step use the result and lets a check read it.What to notice: A blank would look like a slip. The words NOT STATED make a gap something the next step, and a check, can see.
From the template Turn meeting notes into decisions and actions.
Easy to Mix Up
- A step’s resultThe work itself. The hand-off is the agreed shape that work is written in.
- A checkA check can read a hand-off to see that every column is there. The hand-off is what it reads.
- Structured outputThe same idea from the builder’s side: asking for a table, a list or a form that a program can read.