Reusable CTSE workflows and quality standards
Turn a useful request into a workflow someone else can repeat.
In this lesson · A2 of 8
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Start with the idea
Turn a useful request into a workflow someone else can repeat.
Save the instructions, source inputs and checks together. Record the version and setup. Missing information should stay missing rather than being filled with a guess.
Workflow package: The inputs, instructions and checks needed to repeat a task.
See the example and check your understanding
A made-up teaching example
A meeting note assigns Lee a draft agenda by 9 October. It does not assign a venue deadline. An output invents one. The revised workflow explicitly allows unknown fields and checks each row against the source.
Ask yourself
Should an empty deadline field be filled with a plausible date?
Show the explanation
No. Keep it unknown. Another person should be able to reproduce both the result and the reason for that decision.
Start with these checks
- Attach source IDs to output rows.
- Keep missing fields explicit.
- Record changes and the setup used.
Use the different practice case below and check every requirement in its full instructions.
The video explains the main idea. Use the sources, instructions and checks below to complete the practice.
Captions appear here during playback.
Reusable CTSE workflows and quality standards
Turn a useful request into a workflow someone else can repeat.
Video playback is unavailable. Read the descriptive transcript below, go directly to practice, or open the video file.
Source-based teaching example · Fictional data · Reviewed 2026-10-03. Microsoft Mark · locally synthesized. On a small screen, use fullscreen for diagram details or read the transcript.
Read the descriptive transcript
0:00 · What you will learn
Turn a useful request into a workflow someone else can repeat.
What appears on screen
Turn a useful request into a workflow someone else can repeat.
0:06 · The idea
Save the instructions, source inputs and checks together. Record the version and setup. Missing information should stay missing rather than being filled with a guess.
What appears on screen
Save the instructions, source inputs and checks together. Record the version and setup. Missing information should stay missing rather than being filled with a guess.
0:20 · One useful term
Workflow package. The inputs, instructions and checks needed to repeat a task.
What appears on screen
The inputs, instructions and checks needed to repeat a task.
0:29 · A worked example · 1
A meeting note assigns Lee a draft agenda by 9 October. It does not assign a venue deadline. An output invents one.
What appears on screen
A meeting note assigns Lee a draft agenda by 9 October. It does not assign a venue deadline. An output invents one.
0:40 · A worked example · 2
The revised workflow explicitly allows unknown fields and checks each row against the source.
What appears on screen
The revised workflow explicitly allows unknown fields and checks each row against the source.
0:48 · Your turn to think
Should an empty deadline field be filled with a plausible date? Pause and decide before continuing.
What appears on screen
Should an empty deadline field be filled with a plausible date? Pause the video if you need more time.
1:05 · Why this answer works
No. Keep it unknown. Another person should be able to reproduce both the result and the reason for that decision.
What appears on screen
No. Keep it unknown. Another person should be able to reproduce both the result and the reason for that decision.
1:16 · Check 1
Attach source IDs to output rows.
What appears on screen
Attach source IDs to output rows.
1:21 · Check 2
Keep missing fields explicit.
What appears on screen
Keep missing fields explicit.
1:26 · Check 3
Record changes and the setup used.
What appears on screen
Record changes and the setup used.
1:31 · Now try a different case
Open the lesson and try its different practice case. Use every check in the full task. Watching alone does not mark the lesson complete.
What appears on screen
Open the lesson Try the new case Check and revise The full task and its requirements are in the linked lesson.
Watching explains the example. Complete the lesson practice to check what you can do. Explore all visual lessons →
Before you start
Prerequisite: A1 selected use case and F3 CTSE. Offline/no-cost route: a notebook, calculator and supplied synthetic facts. Optional tools must already be authorized. No real workplace data, paid API, new account or external action is required.
What you will be able to do
- Version workflow and criteria.
- Define schemas, review, exceptions, and fallback.
- Test unaided peer reproduction.
Part 1 A reusable workflow is more than a prompt
Package intake requirements, scope evidence, CTSE, input/output schema, review checks, exceptions, owner, version and manual fallback. Structured output makes missing fields detectable; valid structure does not establish truth. Separate schema validation from source-grounding checks. Record model/product/harness/environment and relevant settings so another learner can reconstruct the run. Tool permissions and approvals remain configuration controls. Reproduction should use only written instructions; coaching hides missing documentation. Version changes need a reason and regression checks appropriate to the changed behavior.
Part 2 Worked synthetic example
Synthetic meeting source M1: Lee will prepare draft agenda by 9 October; venue undecided; Morgan will review once drafted. Output schema: action, owner, due_date, source_id, status. Correct row: draft agenda / Lee / 9 October / M1 / proposed-or-assigned as source states. Venue row must have unknown owner/date unless provided. v0.1 invents 10 October for venue; v0.2 requires explicit null/unknown for absent fields and adds a source check.
Part 3 Guided practice and feedback
Inspect rows: agenda/Lee/9 October/M1; venue/Morgan/10 October/M1. First is supported; second invents owner and date. Schema compliance alone passes both, demonstrating why factual validation is separate. Add a test for missing dates and verify that unknown appears.
Review and next step
Self-review is practice, not independent certification or operational approval. A3 prepares the data/provenance record supporting the package.
Substantive review: 2026-10-02. Use the configuration guide when selecting tools. NIST AI RMF is voluntary risk-management guidance and grants no course or operational authorization.