Prepare knowledge your assistant can cite

When an upload comes back wrong, the fix is usually the source material, not a cleverer prompt.

1. 1

   Name the question

   Write the specific job the assistant must do, and list the files you are allowed to give it.

2. 2

   Look before you clean

   Missing rows, old versions, and two names for the same thing are why a confident answer comes back wrong.

3. 3

   Build a layer it can search

   Clean a copy. Align the terms and headings. Put a short summary at the top of each file, and keep that set away from working drafts.

4. 4

   Ask a question only the file can answer

   A vague question hides a bad upload. A precise one shows whether the assistant can cite the source. Review the set when the work changes.

Before that work, the assistant gives a generic answer. After it, the answer points at the file.