Instructions → Missing Questions

Read a short process as a newcomer and surface the questions its author forgot to answer.

← All Automation & AI projects

Everyday AI · Find the unstated assumptions

People who know a process often leave out the steps they take for granted. AI can help you test whether someone else could follow the instructions.

Try the demonstration

Choose a synthetic example, inspect its worked response, then edit the input to build your own prompt. Worked responses are prewritten, AI-authored illustrations, not live model results. The browser builds a prompt; run it in your chosen AI tool to get a fresh response.

Example Monthly file handoffVolunteer welcome guide

Inputs stay in this page’s memory and are not sent to an AI provider or saved by this demo. Use invented or non-sensitive text. Copying a prompt to another service is a separate action.

Instructions to review Download the latest file from the shared folder. Remove old rows and save the final version. Send it to the usual reviewers before lunch. Once approved, replace the copy in the reporting folder.

Prompt to reuse · updates as you type

What to check

Keep genuine gaps separate from preferences. Verify that the checklist does not fill missing details with plausible but unsupported rules.

This exercise demonstrates a useful way to ask for help, not a guarantee of model accuracy or measured time savings. The examples are invented. A person decides which findings are valid and what to do next.

TipReusable instructions

Review these instructions from the perspective of a newcomer. List the specific ambiguities, contradictions and missing dependencies that could stop someone following them. For each, quote the relevant source phrase and ask one concrete clarification question. Then provide a short checklist using only stated instructions, marking unresolved details as To confirm. Do not invent company policy, deadlines, approval authority or system behaviour.

Read the first worked example without running the demo

The first example’s input appears above. Its illustrative response is:

QUESTIONS TO RESOLVE
• “latest file” — Which folder and filename identify the correct reporting period?
• “Remove old rows” — What exact rule defines an old row?
• “save the final version” — Where should the review copy go, and what should it be called?
• “usual reviewers” — Who must review it, and whose approval is needed?
• “before lunch” — What date, time and time zone apply?
• “replace the copy” — Which file should be replaced, and should a previous version be retained?

CHECKLIST
1. Download the file — location and selection rule: To confirm.
2. Remove old rows — removal rule: To confirm.
3. Save the review copy — location and name: To confirm.
4. Send for review — recipients and deadline: To confirm.
5. After approval, replace the reporting copy — approval requirements and target: To confirm.

Explore the other everyday projects · AI-Assisted Workflow Triage