Basic source checking. No coding required; automation is optional.
A browser and text editor. Supplied notes and drafts work offline. Optional live tools must be approved for the data.
Start with the idea
Define the output and the actions allowed before using AI.
Describe the audience, facts and a clear finish condition. Separate drafting from sending. A polished message still fails if it invents a fact or approval.
Task contract: A short agreement about the required output, checks and permitted actions.
See the example and check your understanding
A made-up teaching example
The orientation reminder is for 12 May at 10:00, but the venue is unconfirmed. A successful draft stays under the stated word limit, keeps the venue pending and sends nothing.
Ask yourself
Does a convincing draft make an unconfirmed venue confirmed?
Show the explanation
No. Preserve unresolved facts and keep the work inside the draft-only task.
Start with these checks
- Define done before drafting.
- Keep unresolved facts and approvals visible.
- Do not perform external actions.
Use the different practice case below and check every requirement in its full instructions.
Full learning objectives
- Identify inputs, audience and constraints.
- Separate drafting from execution.
- Choose a simple workflow and baseline.
Captions appear here during playback.
Choose a useful task and define done
Define the output and the actions allowed before using AI.
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
Define the output and the actions allowed before using AI.
What appears on screen
Define the output and the actions allowed before using AI.
0:06 · The idea
Describe the audience, facts and a clear finish condition. Separate drafting from sending. A polished message still fails if it invents a fact or approval.
What appears on screen
Describe the audience, facts and a clear finish condition. Separate drafting from sending. A polished message still fails if it invents a fact or approval.
0:19 · One useful term
Task contract. A short agreement about the required output, checks and permitted actions.
What appears on screen
A short agreement about the required output, checks and permitted actions.
0:29 · A worked example
The orientation reminder is for 12 May at 10:00, but the venue is unconfirmed. A successful draft stays under the stated word limit, keeps the venue pending and sends nothing.
What appears on screen
The orientation reminder is for 12 May at 10:00, but the venue is unconfirmed. A successful draft stays under the stated word limit, keeps the venue pending and sends nothing.
0:44 · Your turn to think
Does a convincing draft make an unconfirmed venue confirmed? Pause and decide before continuing.
What appears on screen
Does a convincing draft make an unconfirmed venue confirmed? Pause the video if you need more time.
1:01 · Why this answer works
No. Preserve unresolved facts and keep the work inside the draft-only task.
What appears on screen
No. Preserve unresolved facts and keep the work inside the draft-only task.
1:09 · Check 1
Define done before drafting.
What appears on screen
Define done before drafting.
1:14 · Check 2
Keep unresolved facts and approvals visible.
What appears on screen
Keep unresolved facts and approvals visible.
1:20 · Check 3
Do not perform external actions.
What appears on screen
Do not perform external actions.
1:25 · 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 →
The method
Choose a recurring task with clear inputs and a result you can inspect: an agenda, draft update or checklist. Record how you would do it without AI. Define done in observable terms—facts preserved, required fields present, uncertainty marked—rather than “professional” or “better.”
Start with drafting when consequences are reversible. Chat can propose an email; a connected tool can send it. These are different permission boundaries. Identify files, tools and actions available in the application. Use an approved environment for real work and the supplied fictional data for training. Do not grant extra access just because a model asks for it.
Choose your model, harness and offline route
Text-only assistant
Use supplied text. Ask for a plan or draft; do not claim browsing, code execution or file access that was unavailable.
Tool-enabled application or harness
Record which tools actually run, allowed files and actions, approval boundaries and observable results. Tools are optional unless the task needs them.
Local or cloud deployment
Inspect inference, retrieval, connectors, logs and storage separately. Use only authorized environments for real data; training fixtures are fictional.
Higher-capability or frontier model
Evaluate the exact task and configuration. Capability does not supply missing evidence or grant permission. No provider ranking or guarantee is implied.
Offline alternative
Use the supplied inputs and inspect the worked example manually. Builder exercises use local deterministic Python. No paid account or live model call is required.
Record the exact product/model label when available, tools actually used, inputs, permitted actions, observed output and checks. Live accounts or APIs may have external costs; they are optional and are not used by this page.
Read the general workflow guide →Worked example
Supplied input
Fictional task: prepare a draft reminder for a volunteer orientation on 12 May at 10:00. Venue is unconfirmed. Audience: registered volunteers. No sending is authorized.
A checked result
Done: under 100 words; date and time preserved; venue explicitly pending; no invented address; draft only. Baseline: write manually from the note, then compare factual accuracy and review effort.
Why this works
The contract bounds both the output and the permitted action. An elegant email with an invented venue fails.
Try a different case
Independent task: draft a project update. Test due 18 July; owner is Morgan; budget not approved; two defects unresolved. Define done and write a bounded request before drafting.
Download this task and checklist →Interactive practice / Fictional fixture
Set the task boundary
Use the supplied independent case above. Check the bounded decisions, then review your written artifact against the full acceptance criteria.
Everything runs in this browser. No AI model is called and no work is uploaded. Bounded checks cover specific facts and rules. Your writing is not graded: you review it yourself. Practice never marks a lesson complete automatically.
Include Morgan, 18 July, two open defects, budget status and checks.
Try the task, run the checks, then revise. Checks are teaching feedback, not an instructor grade.
Observed browser simulation
This trace comes from the bounded local checker. It is not a Python run, model result or production tool execution.
Self-review
Locked. Write every written part, then run the checks. A few words is not an attempt.
This is self-review, not grading. Read our answers, then tick what your own work does. Ticks are optional. They stay on this page and are not saved or sent anywhere. A different answer can be just as good if it meets the lesson criteria.
Your task contract and bounded request
A strong answer
Task: draft a project update for review. Draft only; nothing gets sent. Must include: test due 18 July; owner Morgan; two defects unresolved; budget not approved. Done means: all four facts appear as given, nothing is added, and it stays under 120 words. Request: “Draft a project update under 120 words from these facts only: test due 18 July, owner Morgan, two unresolved defects, budget not approved. Do not add causes, fixes or dates. Mark anything you are unsure of.” Checks: compare each fact against my notes; confirm no new commitments.
A flawed answer
Write a positive update for the project. Testing is on track for July, Morgan is handling it, and the budget is approved. Keep it upbeat and send it to the team.
What is wrong with it: “Positive” invites the draft to hide two open defects. It says the budget is approved when it is not, drops the 18 July date, and adds sending, which nobody authorized.
Keep or restore your work
Drafts are not saved automatically. Save only fictional practice data. A browser draft may be lost if storage is cleared; download a copy to keep it.
Your steps
- List facts, unknowns, audience and action boundary.
- Specify output fields and two failure conditions.
- Describe the manual baseline and your review method.
Check your work
- Budget remains unapproved.
- Both unresolved defects remain visible.
- No sending, approval or completion claim is introduced.
After your attempt: review notes and a common mistake
“Draft update only; include due date, owner, open defects and budget status” is useful. “Write a positive update” can conceal material uncertainty.
Different wording or a different justified decision can pass. Check your work against every requirement; these notes are not an automated grade.
Explain your approach
Which requirement would a tone-focused rewrite be most likely to lose?
Keep your artifact, one correction or decision, its evidence and one remaining limitation. Nothing on this page sends or uploads your work.
Check your understanding
Choose an answer to see feedback. This is a knowledge check, not instructor assessment.
Review your independent practice
Complete the supplied task before recording progress. Use the acceptance criteria and reveal the review notes after your attempt. Keep your artifact yourself; nothing is uploaded.
Not yet self-reviewed. Completion stays in this browser and does not issue a badge.
Optional deeper study
Explore the related general-course lesson → This opens the existing canonical lesson; it is optional depth, not another copy of this focused task.
Primary references
Revision 2026-10-03. Fictional examples, not observed provider results. Knowledge checks and completion records are self-study aids.