E1 · Five IF/THEN rules
20 minStarting from padrao.md, write 5 rules in the template. Include at least one exception that calls a person.
Done when: the file has 5 rules, each with a visible condition, a specific action, and who answers.
Lesson 5 · 18 min
From case to rule: validate with 3 new cases and save it in the context pack
The pattern from the cases is still in your own words. Now it becomes an IF/THEN rule in the owner's words. It goes through three cases the owner didn't use to teach you, then it goes into a file with an owner, a date, and a version. This is the file any assistant will read later, and it's the one the company keeps.
Start the lesson
In this lesson you will
- 1Write a checkable IF/THEN rule
- 2Read the rule to the owner and accept their changes
- 3Test on 3 new cases, on paper
- 4Save in the context pack with an owner, a date, and a version
Goal: turn the pattern from the cases into IF/THEN rules, test them on 3 new cases, and save them in a file with an owner and a date.
01The rule cycle
Each rule goes through the five steps before it goes into the file.
Click each block in the diagram to see what it does.
Without validation, the assistant's first week exposes the mistake in front of the customer.
02Good rule, bad rule
The test: can someone who doesn't know the company apply it?
1. Visible condition
The condition has to show up in what the customer wrote or in the system: "asks about price," "mentions surgery," "is the first time."
"When the customer seems serious" is not a condition: nobody can see that.
2. Specific action
The action says what to do and, when it matters, what not to do: "ask about the insurance plan; don't send a price."
An action with two outcomes becomes two rules.
Narrative → rule (fictional)
"When people ask about the price of a package, I never send a number; I ask about the insurance plan, because it changes." → IF they ask about the price of a package AND haven't said their insurance plan THEN ask about the insurance plan; do NOT send a price.
3. Exception with an owner
Every rule that can go wrong at a high cost points to a person: "IF they mention recent surgery THEN call the physical therapist".
In the file, each rule has someone who answers for it.
4. Signs of a mature rule
The owner approves the 3 new cases without changes, or the change is a word, not the structure.
They can already predict what the rule will do before you show it.
03Templates: rule, test, and file
The rules file is plain text: any tool can read it. Replace what is between < > with your own.
teste-regra.md
# Rule test <RNN> — <date> Rule: IF <condition> THEN <action> | New case (no name) | What the rule says to do | What the owner would do | Match? | |---|---|---|---| | <case 1> | <...> | <...> | yes/no | | <case 2> | <...> | <...> | yes/no | | <case 3> | <...> | <...> | yes/no | Owner's change: <word or structure; what changed> Result: mature / back to IF/THEN
regras-NEGOCIO.md
# Rules for <area> — <business> File owner: <name and role> Version: <v1> Updated on: <date> Source: cases collected with <owner> on <date>; each tested on 3 new cases. Do not keep any client's name, phone number, or health data here. ## R01 — <short name> IF: <visible condition> THEN: <action> DON'T: <what not to do, if any> Who answers: <person> Tested on: <date> (3/3) ## R02 — <short name> ... ## History - <date> v1: created with <N> rules - <date> v2: <what changed and why>
Example (fictional)
# Rules for customer service — Clínica Vila Serena (fictional) File owner: the owner (proprietor) Version: v1 Updated on: <date> ## R01 — Insurance before price IF: asks the price of a package AND hasn't said their insurance plan THEN: ask which insurance plan, or whether it's private pay DON'T: send a price before that Who answers: front desk Tested on: <date> (3/3) ## R02 — Recent surgery IF: mentions surgery in the last 6 months THEN: say the physical therapist will answer, and notify the physical therapist Who answers: physical therapist on duty Tested on: <date> (3/3, word change)
Simulation: illustrative example
- Each rule has an IF, a THEN, and who answers.
- Each rule has a test table with 3 new cases and the result.
- The file has an owner, version, and date at the top, and no personal client data.
Somewhere in the company, not just on your computer: a shared folder for the business, with the owner as the file's owner. The consultant leaves; the rules stay.
How to organize this context pack (what goes in, who updates it, how often) is covered in AI Management · Resources, lesson 3. If the file cites examples of conversations, remove names and health data: the care required by LGPD (Brazil's data protection law) applies to your drafts too.
04Practice: 5 tested rules
Continue with Vila Serena (fictional) from the pattern in lesson 4.
E2 · Three new cases per rule
30 minFor each rule, write 3 new cases (fictional, different from the ones in lesson 4), with at least 1 designed to break the rule (the exception, the edge case). Ask someone else to play the owner and say what they would do in each case, without seeing the rule. Adjust any rule that fails and test again.
Done when: all 5 rules have a test table with 3 new cases, one of them an edge case, the "what the owner would do" column filled in by someone else, and the result "mature."
E3 · File with owner and version
5 minBuild regras-vila-serena.md with the complete header and the history.
Done when: the file has owner, version, date, and history at the top, and a search for a name or phone number finds nothing.
05Test what you learned
Question 1 of 4
Which of these is a rule condition you can actually check?skill
Correct
The condition has to be visible in the message or in the system. No one can check "seems interested" or "makes sense".Not this one
The condition has to be visible in the message or in the system. No one can check "seems interested" or "makes sense".Review: Good rule, bad ruleQuestion 2 of 4
Why test the rule on cases that weren't used to create it?skill
Correct
A rule tested only on its own examples always gets it right. The new case shows whether it generalizes.Not this one
A rule tested only on its own examples always gets it right. The new case shows whether it generalizes.Review: The rule cycleQuestion 3 of 4
The owner hears the rule and changes one word. What does that indicate?
Correct
A wording adjustment is a sign of a mature rule. A structural adjustment sends the rule back to IF/THEN.Not this one
A wording adjustment is a sign of a mature rule. A structural adjustment sends the rule back to IF/THEN.Review: Good rule, bad ruleQuestion 4 of 4
Where should the rules file live?
Correct
The rules are the company's knowledge. If they stay only with the consultant, the company depends on them forever.Not this one
The rules are the company's knowledge. If they stay only with the consultant, the company depends on them forever.Review: Templates: rule, test, and fileQuiz complete
You got {a} of {n} right. Get them all right and the lesson is marked as complete.Pick an answer. The explanation shows up after you try.
06Summary
IF/THEN in their own wordsVisible condition, specific action, what not to do, and who answers.
3 new casesThe rule is only mature when it gets right cases that didn't create it, with the owner checking.
Company fileOwner, version, date, and history. No client names or health data.