TemplatesPlan

Scope a job before you start

List everything a job could involve, decide what is in and out, say what done looks like in a way you can check by looking, and set when to stop, all on one page.

  • Who it is for: Anyone who gets open-ended requests, such as coordinators, assistants and team leads.
  • Time: 15 minutes

Download it, in the format you use

  • Prompt chain

    Copy each step into ChatGPT or Claude, one after another.

  • Checklist

    Follow the steps and tick off the checks by hand.

  • Claude skill

    A folder Claude loads, so it follows the steps by itself.

  • n8n file

    Import into n8n and connect your own AI account.

Open in the Editor

The steps, and the check on each

  1. Step 1: List everything the job could involve

    Write out every piece of work the job might include, marking which ones the request actually names.

    Hands back: A numbered table of every piece of work, each marked stated or assumed.

    Check:Each piece is marked stated or assumed

    Counted automatically. If it fails, the step runs again.

  2. Step 2: Decide what is in, out or later

    Put every piece in, out or later, with a reason, using the time and help you have.

    Hands back: A table that puts every piece in, out or later, with a reason.

    Check:Each decision is in, out or later

    Counted automatically. If it fails, the step runs again.

  3. Step 3: Define done for each piece that is in

    For each piece marked in, write what done means and how to see that it is done.

    Hands back: A table that says what done means for each piece in scope and how to check it by looking.

    Check:Every piece has a way to check it

    Counted automatically. If it fails, the step runs again.

  4. Step 4: Decide when to stop

    Set the limits that tell you when to stop and ask, so the job does not grow.

    Hands back: Three short stopping rules (a time limit, a size limit and when to ask).

    No separate check on this step.

  5. Step 5: Write the one-page scope note

    Put the scope, the done checks and the stopping rules on one short page you can share.

    Hands back: A one-page scope note the person who asked can confirm.

    Check:The note is 300 words or fewer

    Counted automatically. If it fails, the step runs again.

After the last step

  • Check:Every done check can be made by looking

    A second look by the AI. If it fails, the step runs again.

  • Check:Every in-scope piece reaches the note

    A second look by the AI. If it fails, the step runs again.

  • Check:You can live with the boundary

    You check this one. If it fails, it is flagged for you.

What you need first

  • The job as it was given to you(needed)

    Paste the request or describe the job in your own words. Rough is fine.

  • Time and help you have(needed)

    How much time you can give it, any deadline, and who else can help.

Ways to adapt it

  • If the person who asked is available, send them the note before you start and change it with their answer.
  • To plan several jobs at once, run the template once per job and compare the notes side by side.
  • If your team has a standard form for requests, paste its headings into the last step in place of the ones shown.
  • To change the size of the note, change 300 in the last step's rules and in its check, both.

Change any step or check in the Editor, then download it again.

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Last tested
October 5, 2026
Works with
ChatGPT, Claude, n8n 2.20
Version
1.0
What changed
First release.

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