Some tasks are easy to do and easy to forget: assemble Friday’s report, check a supplier update, or collect the paperwork for next week. A recurring worker is useful when it knows the source information, the schedule, and what counts as complete.
Research is a related use case. Instead of asking for a broad opinion, give the worker a decision to support, a set of constraints, and the evidence you need to compare options.
Specify the schedule and the result
Name the time zone, frequency, source folders or accounts, and where the result belongs. ‘Every Friday at 3pm Calgary time, put a summary in our weekly report folder’ is more useful than ‘keep me updated.’
Include what to do if there is no new information or a source is unavailable. Ask for a dated result and a note about incomplete checks. A failed connection should not look like a successful report with nothing to mention.
Make research serve a decision
For supplier comparisons, provide your location, required quantities, delivery deadline, and the attributes that matter. Ask for source links and the date checked alongside each price or availability claim.
Keep confirmed facts separate from estimates and unknowns. The useful output might be a small comparison table with the unanswered questions for each supplier, rather than a long essay that hides the decision you need to make.
Run it once before you schedule it
Review the first result manually. Check that it used the right files, included the expected period, and delivered to the correct place. Then give the same task a schedule.
For a recurring workflow, keep a way to change or stop it and a simple record of the most recent successful run. Ask for a summary of completed work rather than assuming that a scheduled instruction guarantees a completed result.
An instruction you can adapt
Compare suppliers for an actual purchase
“Compare three local suppliers for the attached materials list. We need delivery in Calgary next week. Show unit price, delivery cost, stated availability, source link, and the date checked. Mark anything that requires a phone quote. Do not place an order.”
What to look for in the result
- A comparison using the same requirements for every supplier.
- Source links and dates for the information found.
- A short list of questions to resolve before you choose.
Try it with your business: Run a report or research brief once and inspect the sources. Schedule it only when the result is useful enough that you would want it again.
Get your worker and try this workflow →
