Field notes
Practical tools to scope the project and test its results
Use these templates to prepare a discussion between the process owner and technical team. They identify decisions needed before development and ways to evaluate outputs beyond a general impression of an answer.
The details that turn an idea into something you can build.
Define the first process
The workflow brief records the trigger, inputs, knowledge source, owner, output, and incomplete-input path. It asks for a baseline when available so performance comparisons use actual information.
Use the workflow template with the person responsible for the process, then review the connection inventory with the technical owner. The acceptance worksheet records expected outputs and failure cases. Keep sensitive records out of the initial brief; representative fictional examples are enough to discuss structure and access requirements.
Acceptance test plan
The plan covers ordinary cases, incomplete requests, conflicting sources, missing permissions, changed approval inputs, and lost tool responses. Each case has an expected result and observable evidence.
Read the results
Retrieval tests review source, version, and relevance. Tool tests review inputs, policy, and effects. Process tests combine them and measure completion and exceptions that needed intervention.
Review time, corrections, completed cases, and operating cost can be measured. These measures do not automatically establish cash savings; identify what actually changed in team time or work cost.
Try a fictional case
Use the design assistant to explore a process or the project brief to organize requirements for discussion with your team.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Start where the work gets stuck.
Describe one request as it arrives today. Make its next step clearer.