The Three-Spec Worksheet
One per workflow. Pin it next to your context card. Re-orient every 30 days.
A workflow is a chain. A chain has legs. Each leg is one of three kinds — human↔human, human↔AI, or AI↔AI. Every kind has its own spec. This sheet is all three on one page so you can run the right spec on the right leg without thinking about it.
Workflow Header
WORKFLOW NAME: ____________________________________________
LEAKIEST LEG (the one breaking right now):
__________________________________________________________
30-DAY RE-ORIENT DATE (calendar event, not a sticky note):
__________________________________________________________
Human Legs — The Communication Diamond
Use this for client texts, partner emails, team handoffs, lender check-ins. Five facets. Run any important send through these before you hit submit.
WHAT — the actual ask, in one sentence the receiver could repeat back:
__________________________________________________________
HOW — channel, tone, vocabulary the receiver actually uses:
__________________________________________________________
WHEN — the timing constraint (by when, in what order, before/after what):
__________________________________________________________
MOTIVATION BLOCKERS — what would stop a yes? Name them, then address them:
__________________________________________________________
OWNERSHIP — who does what, with what artifact, by when?
__________________________________________________________
Test: if the receiver has to guess, the spec is incomplete. Go back and add the missing facet.
Human → AI Legs — The AI Spec
Use this for every prompt you write to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any other model. Four slots. Missing one slot = generic output.
ANTI-PATTERNS — what NOT to do (at least 3 negative constraints):
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________
AUDIENCE — talking TO (who reads this — buyer, seller, lender, etc.):
__________________________________________________________
AUDIENCE — talking FOR (whose voice is speaking — you, team, brokerage):
__________________________________________________________
OUTCOME — what "done" looks like (word count, format, specific reaction):
__________________________________________________________
INTERVIEW-FEEDBACK LOOP — questions the AI must ask before writing:
__________________________________________________________
Test: if the output sounds robotic or generic, the missing slot is almost always ANTI-PATTERNS or the talking-FOR half of AUDIENCE.
AI → AI Legs — The Handoff Contract
Use this for every leg where one automation, agent, or tool hands work to another without you in the middle. Three slots. Skip on workflows that don't have AI-to-AI legs yet.
INPUT SHAPE — exactly what the receiving agent expects coming in:
- Format (JSON / markdown / plain text): _________________
- Required fields: _______________________________________
- Forbidden fields: ______________________________________
OUTPUT SHAPE — exactly what this agent hands to the next leg:
- Format: ________________________________________________
- Required fields: _______________________________________
- Edge-case shape (e.g., null, empty array): _____________
DONE DEFINITION — testable, falsifiable conditions for "complete":
__________________________________________________________
Test: if you can't write a single sentence describing what "done" looks like that another person could check, the contract is too loose. Tighten it.
OODA Pass — On the Leakiest Leg
Run this only on the leg you flagged at the top of the page. Two minutes. No notes app — just write directly here.
OBSERVE — what's actually coming in to this leg right now?
__________________________________________________________
ORIENT — what does it mean? (this is the step you've been skipping)
__________________________________________________________
DECIDE — what should this leg send next?
__________________________________________________________
ACT — the smallest real send that generates new information:
__________________________________________________________
Re-Orient Reminder
☐ I added a 30-day calendar event to revisit this worksheet
☐ I named the leakiest leg out loud (not just in my head)
☐ I wrote at least 3 ANTI-PATTERNS for the AI legs (negative constraints
prevent more generic outputs than positive ones)
☐ I named OWNERSHIP with a person, an artifact, AND a deadline
Class: Innovation Lab · The Communication Loop That Doesn't Break
Companion files: failure-modes-quickref.md, chain-anatomy-cheatsheet.md