| name | plan-before-prompt |
| category | kata |
| description | Sketch the deliverable structure before you open a Copilot prompt. Use for any output longer than a paragraph: memos, briefs, decks, recaps, status updates, proposals. Skip only for one-line answers. Triggers: "draft a memo", "build a deck", "write a brief", second time reprompting. |
Plan Before Prompt
Copilot drafts beautifully when you give it shape. It rambles when you don't.
Quick Reference
| Deliverable | Skeleton time | Sections to pre-name |
|---|
| Decision memo | 60s | TL;DR · Context · Options · Reco · Risks · Ask |
| Status update | 60s | RAG · Wins · Risks · Ask |
| Research synthesis | 2min | Sources · Themes · Synthesis · So-what |
| Deck | 3min | One title per slide; one decision per deck |
| Email reply | 30s | Acknowledge · Answer · Next step |
When to Use
- Any deliverable longer than ~150 words.
- Any deliverable with more than one section or audience.
- When you've already prompted twice and don't like either output — stop, plan, then re-prompt.
How to Use
Write the skeleton in two minutes before opening Copilot:
TITLE
Audience: <who>
Decision/Action: <what they should do after reading>
Sections:
1. <heading> — <one-line purpose>
2. <heading> — <one-line purpose>
3. ...
Sources to cite: <files, links, threads>
Tone: <executive / collegial / formal / direct>
Length: <approx>
Then ask Copilot to draft one section at a time, feeding it the relevant source per section. Stitch at the end.
Examples
| Don't: Unplanned | Do: Planned |
|---|
| "Write me a 2-page memo on X" | Skeleton with Context / Options / Reco named, then "draft section 2 from [source]" |
| Reprompting "make it shorter" 5 times | Skeleton with explicit word budget per section |
| Letting Copilot pick headings | You pick headings; Copilot fills under each |
| One mega-prompt | Section-by-section, each with its own source |
Critical Rules
- Two minutes of planning saves twenty of reprompting.
- You pick the structure, not Copilot. Structure encodes judgment.
- Section-by-section drafting, not one-shot. Each section gets its own source.
- If you've reprompted twice and still don't like it, stop. Re-plan.
Common Pitfalls
- Planning in your head, not on paper — the structure drifts.
- Over-planning a 2-paragraph reply.
- Letting the Copilot draft retrofit the structure (you'll inherit its choices).
- Skipping the "what to leave out" line — the most-skipped, highest-leverage line.
Anti-Patterns
- "Write me a 2-page memo on X" — you're outsourcing the thinking, not the typing.
- Planning in your head only. Write it down. The act of writing forces clarity.
- Over-planning. Two minutes, not twenty.
Verify Before Prompting
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