Handoff brief and review instruction

Two templates to copy. The brief hands a job to another tool, or to a new conversation (lesson 3). The review instruction has a second pair of eyes check it (lesson 4). Nothing from your “never” list in them.

1. The handoff brief

HANDOFF BRIEF

CONTEXT: [who I am, the project, in two sentences]
GOAL: [the expected result, and what it will be used for]
TO READ: [the files or texts provided, and only those]
ALREADY DECIDED: [what is not to be reopened]
IT WORKED IF:
1. [verifiable criterion]
2. [verifiable criterion]
3. nothing is made up: information that is missing or not yet decided is written [to be completed]
DO NOT: [for example: do not edit or create any file; do not send anything]
FORMAT OF THE REPLY: 1) [the result]; 2) [what you relied on]; 3) [the points to check or to decide]
IF SOMETHING IS MISSING: [ask me the question before starting] or [write [to be completed] and carry on]

The brief test: paste it into a new conversation with no memory (as in lesson 2). If the AI asks you for a piece of information that you only had in your head, add it to the brief.

2. The review instruction

To give to the reviewer, together with the brief, the source and the result. Not the explanations from the tool that produced it.

You are reviewing the work of another AI. Here are the request (the brief), the source, and the result.
List the problems, from most serious to least serious. For each one: what is wrong, the evidence (an exact quote from the source or the brief), and how sure you are (sure, probable, to be checked).
Do not rewrite the result. Do not modify any file. If you find no problem, say so.

3. Deciding, point by point

Reviewer’s point	Checked against the source?	My decision
	☐	☐ fix ☐ ignore, because ______ ☐ to decide with ______
	☐	☐ fix ☐ ignore, because ______ ☐ to decide with ______
	☐	☐ fix ☐ ignore, because ______ ☐ to decide with ______

One round trip, two at most. After that, you finish it yourself.