Sage Service Lead

Post 2 · Slide 1 of 8

“Someone agreed” isn’t approval in my AI workflow.

I look for the decision itself.

Slide 2

“Someone agreed” leaves me with a question.

What exactly was approved?

I look for an explicit decision, not a second-hand claim.

Slide 3

1

What was decided?

Slide 4

2

Who decided it?

Slide 5

3

Where is it written down?

I need the decision in writing before a draft moves.

Slide 6

If I can’t find it, the draft stays a draft.

I go back to the person accountable and ask.

Slide 7

Sample prompt

“Using only the records I’ve provided, find the written approval for this draft. Quote the exact decision, identify who made it, and cite its source and date. Separate direct evidence from second-hand claims. If approval is missing or unclear, say so. Don’t infer approval or move the draft forward.”

Use fictional or non-identifying material only.

Slide 8

It’s a small check.

It helps keep a friendly conversation from quietly turning into a decision nobody actually made.

What does a clear yes look like in your workflow?

Caption

A message saying “someone agreed” leaves me with a question: what exactly was approved?

In my AI workflow, I look for an explicit decision, not a second-hand claim.

Before a draft moves, I look for the decision itself: what was decided, who made the call, and where it’s written down. If I can’t find it, the draft stays a draft, and I go back to the person accountable and ask.

It’s a small check, and it helps keep a friendly conversation from quietly turning into a decision nobody actually made.

Slide 7 has a sample prompt for finding the written approval. Use fictional or non-identifying material only.

What does a clear yes look like in your workflow?

How I use AI in my own work. Not professional advice.

Related prompt: The approval finder, a longer version of the slide 7 prompt.

Carousel images

All slides: clay and plum illustration on peach paper; footer shows the Sage Service Lead logo and the words: How I use AI in my own work. Not professional advice.

Text: “Someone agreed” isn’t approval in my AI workflow. I look for the decision itself. A faceless, bearded figure in a clay jacket holds up a blank page. Loose clay threads from three blank speech bubbles fall short of the page, while one plum thread passes through a solid plum circle and ties to the page in a small bow. Low rooftops run along the bottom.
Slide 1 of 8
Text: “Someone agreed” leaves me with a question. What exactly was approved? I look for an explicit decision, not a second-hand claim. The figure stands between a plum thread rising through a solid circle on the left and blank speech bubbles trailing loose clay threads on the right.
Slide 2 of 8
Text: 1. What was decided? A large solid plum circle with a soft halo sits on the plum thread, with a blank page standing below it.
Slide 3 of 8
Text: 2. Who decided it? The plum thread runs through the solid circle and up into the raised hand of a second faceless figure in a plum jacket and clay trousers.
Slide 4 of 8
Text: 3. Where is it written down? I need the decision in writing before a draft moves. The plum thread passes through the solid circle and ties in a bow to a blank page with ruled lines, held up by the bearded figure.
Slide 5 of 8
Text: If I can’t find it, the draft stays a draft. I go back to the person accountable and ask. The bearded figure, a blank page tucked at his side, walks toward the second figure with a blank speech bubble above him; a clay thread runs from his hand to the second figure’s raised hand.
Slide 6 of 8
Text: Sample prompt, followed by the full prompt in quotation marks: “Using only the records I’ve provided, find the written approval for this draft. Quote the exact decision, identify who made it, and cite its source and date. Separate direct evidence from second-hand claims. If approval is missing or unclear, say so. Don’t infer approval or move the draft forward.” Below it: Use fictional or non-identifying material only. A plum thread runs down the left edge beside the prompt, curves along the rooftop line through a small solid circle, and ties in a bow to a small blank page.
Slide 7 of 8
Text: It’s a small check. It helps keep a friendly conversation from quietly turning into a decision nobody actually made. What does a clear yes look like in your workflow? The bearded figure holds up a blank page tied by the plum thread, which runs through a solid circle and along the rooftop line.
Slide 8 of 8
Download the 8 images (zip)