--- title: "How to Write a Task Brief an AI Function Can Follow" description: "Write an AI task brief from the acceptance checks backward. Name the result, sources, exceptions, reviewer, and stopping point for one repeatable job." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/write-ai-function-brief-acceptance-checks" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # How to write a task brief an AI function can follow Write the acceptance checks first. Then define the result, approved sources, decisions, exception handling, and stopping point needed to pass those checks. Keep the brief in your business's files so another operator can use it. Start with a job you can describe without mentioning AI. Ask what the reader needs to decide after receiving the result. That answer sets the purpose of the function. This article is a practical workshop using a fictional weekly operations summary. It builds on the [brief versus prompt guide](/articles/brief-vs-prompt). The added step is to challenge every instruction with a case that proves what it means. ## Define the result in one sentence Replace a broad request such as handle reporting with a finish line. For the fictional example, write: > Prepare an internal weekly summary of completed work and unresolved blockers for the operations lead, using the approved reporting period and work record. Read that sentence to the intended reviewer. Ask what would make the result unusable. Record the answer before choosing a model or writing a long instruction. Keep one function within one brief. If the reader also wants a customer update, define a separate result and approval boundary. Sharing facts does not make the audience or permission the same. Name the file or system location that will receive the draft. Include a normal stopping point, such as draft saved with a run record. ## Write checks the reviewer can answer For the weekly summary, propose checks such as these: every included item falls within the reporting period; every completion claim matches an accepted status; every unresolved blocker has a source. Add a coverage check. The reviewer should compare eligible source items with the draft to find omissions. Correct statements alone do not establish that the report contains all required work. Separate formatting from substance. A heading preference should not obscure an unsupported claim. State which issues require rejection and which the reviewer may edit. NIST's voluntary AI Risk Management Framework describes documenting supported tasks, knowledge limits, and human oversight in MAP 2.1 and 2.2. [NIST AI RMF 1.0, January 2023, checked October 26, 2026](https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ai/NIST.AI.100-1.pdf) The checks in this workshop are your proposed implementation. They are not prescribed test cases from NIST. ## Name the records and their jobs List each allowed source and explain what it governs. The work log might supply events. The accepted status definitions might determine which events count as complete. The exception list might identify an active blocker. Give examples a limited role. A previous report can show layout without becoming evidence for this week's facts. State that distinction beside the example. Write a source-order rule for conflicts. If the business has not agreed on one, require a stop and name the decision owner. Do not ask the function to decide which record sounds more plausible. State the reporting period as an input. Keep changing dates and facts in maintained records rather than copying them into several versions of the brief. ## Mark the decisions a person must make List the business judgments that remain outside the automated middle. In the fictional example, a person decides whether to accept a changed status definition or resolve conflicting current records. Describe the function's allowed preparation work. It may collect eligible items, assemble a draft, and list unanswered questions. It should not acquire extra permissions merely to finish the report. Write the approval owner beside the action being approved. The operator may start a draft without permission to send it. The reviewer may correct wording without permission to change source records. Use the [job, sources, and stopping-point guide](/articles/give-every-agent-a-job-sources-and-stopping-point) to examine those boundaries before the first practice run. ## Draft a short working brief Use a structure your team can maintain. The following is fictional and intentionally limited to an internal draft: ```text job: prepare the weekly internal operations summary reader: operations lead period: required input, confirmed before starting sources: accepted work log, status definitions, active exceptions example: previous report for layout only output: draft in the approved reporting folder include: completed items, unresolved blockers, unanswered questions exclude: unsupported dates, unrelated records, invented commitments conflict: stop and identify the records needing an owner decision missing input: save an exception note, do not invent a value reviewer: named service manager finish: draft and run record saved; no message sent checks: source support, period, coverage, blockers, draft boundary ``` Add access instructions separately. The brief should point to approved access rather than contain credentials. Name the maintainer who can resolve a missing connection. Have a colleague explain the brief back to you. Record anything they infer that the document does not say. ## Challenge the brief with three practice cases First, prepare an ordinary case with complete inputs. Write the expected facts and boundaries before running the function. Judge the result against that answer sheet. Second, remove a required input. The expected result should be an exception note that identifies the missing material. A polished report with a guessed value fails this case. Third, introduce a conflict between current records. Write who must decide and what the function may prepare while waiting. Confirm that the output does not quietly choose a side. Keep the cases as reusable examples. Remove sensitive details where needed. Store the input, expected result, actual result, and review decision together. ## Revise the rule at the point of failure When a practice result fails, identify the instruction or source that should control it. If submitted work was counted as complete, inspect the status definition and the source-selection step. Do not add a broad paragraph telling the function to be more careful. Write the specific accepted rule and the case that should now pass. Check nearby cases after the revision. An instruction that excludes submitted work should not exclude genuinely completed work. Keep that distinction in the expected results. If a defect belongs in a connection or calculation, route it to the maintainer. A brief should not become a collection of instructions that compensate for a broken component. ## Review the brief with its intended reader Give the reader a blank copy of the proposed output. Ask what decision each section supports and which source they would inspect when something looks wrong. Remove sections with no agreed purpose. Add a definition where the reader and operator interpret the same word differently. Then ask the reader to judge an incomplete practice result. Record whether they reject it, request more evidence, or accept it with a stated limitation. Put that decision into the acceptance checks. The operator should not have to rediscover the review standard during every run. Use the [pre-production testing guide](/articles/test-an-ai-agent-before-production) to organize the practice evidence. Keep the brief and tests linked so a later revision triggers a review of both. ## Include operating limits and the run record Name the function's spend limit and alert recipient in its operating record. State what happens when a required limit cannot be checked. Keep the person's budget authority explicit. Require a record of the inputs read, output produced, model used, cost, check results, and final state. The operator should be able to tell a blocked run from a completed draft. Choose the level of detail to fit the job. Do not copy private source contents into a widely shared record. Give the reviewer enough information to locate the approved evidence. ## Hand the brief to someone new Ask a trained backup to run the practice cases without your verbal help. Watch where they need clarification. Revise those parts before accepting the handoff. Keep an approved version and a proposed-change version distinct. Identify who accepts changes and which cases must run again. A new source, reader, or permission deserves review even when the title stays the same. Scale With Search's [AI systems method](/ai-systems) starts with a study of the business and defines acceptance checks for each function. The brief connects the direction at the front to the human check at the end. To scope that function, [send the current work request and an example result](/work). Include the sources it uses and the person who can say whether the work is complete. ## Related: Agent Governance - [A Brief Is Not a Prompt](/articles/brief-vs-prompt) - [Give Every Agent a Job, Sources, and Stopping Point](/articles/give-every-agent-a-job-sources-and-stopping-point) - [How to Test an AI Agent Before It Touches Production](/articles/test-an-ai-agent-before-production) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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