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Separate real decisions from things only discussed
- For Product managers
- You practice Keeping the AI to your sources
- Time about 5 minutes
About this exercise
Your notetaker listed five 'decisions' from the roadmap review, but some were only discussed. Using the transcript, write exactly 5 numbered lines, one per notetaker item in the same order, each starting DECIDED or STILL OPEN. DECIDED lines end with who decided in parentheses; STILL OPEN lines end with the next step from the transcript. Plain text, under 90 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Trusting the notetaker's list. The notetaker calls all five decisions, and the AI repeats them. Try: Add: "Only count it as a decision if someone clearly decided in the transcript."
- Losing the open items. The AI drops the undecided items instead of saying what happens next. Try: Add: "STILL OPEN lines end with the next step from the transcript."
- No decision owner. The AI states decisions without saying who made them. Try: Show it: "1. DECIDED: Dark mode ships in Q1 (Ines)"
- Markdown summary. The AI writes a formatted recap with bold headings. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting words, so a total word cap usually lands over. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 15 words."
What a strong prompt includes
- Checks against the transcript
- Defines a real decision
- Adds a still-open line
- Names who decided
- Caps the length
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