Lesson 2 · Instruction skill

Brief the outcome,
not every keystroke.

Give the agent enough structure to work independently without hiding the result you actually need.

9 minutesFour-part builderReusable pattern

The four-part brief

For important work, a useful default is: goal, context, boundaries, done when. OpenAI's current Codex guidance uses the closely related pattern goal, context, constraints, and done criteria. The words matter less than the coverage.

Goal: name the professional result, audience, and use.
Context: point to the sources that can change the result.
Boundaries: protect facts, scope, privacy, and external actions.
Done when: define the checks and evidence that close the loop.

A strong brief reduces guessing while leaving the agent room to choose an effective path.

Exercise · Assemble the brief

Prepare a weekly leadership update.

Choose the stronger instruction in each pair. The preview changes as you decide.

Goal Make the update better. Create a one-page Monday update for the leadership team, leading with decisions and next steps.

Context Use the approved project plan and this week's decision notes. Use anything that looks relevant.

Boundaries Keep approved dates and budget figures unchanged. Flag conflicts; do not send. Be confident and fill any gaps.

Done when The writing sounds polished. Every action has an owner and date; every number traces to a named source.

Live brief

Goal
Context
Boundaries
Done when

Previous lesson Next: choose context

Have a question? Ask your AI teacher to turn one of your current assignments into a four-part brief.