Force the answer into a decision matrix
Lesson 6 of 7 · Compliance & safe AI use
1 · Learn the move · Comparison matrix
A wall of prose hides the trade-off; a matrix exposes it. The skill is naming the exact rows and columns so the options land side by side on the same criteria - one row each - instead of three quotes you have to compare in your head at the end of a long day. What you get is a table you can put in front of an owner and decide from, with the gaps marked instead of guessed.
Compare these bids in one table: one row per bid, these columns: [criteria]. Use only what each bid states; mark anything missing UNKNOWN. End with the one-line trade-off. [bids]
2 · Your turn. You write the prompt
Three trade bids came in and they are not comparable - different inclusions, different assumptions. Write a prompt that levels them into one matrix so you can see who actually priced the same job.
Write the prompt for this scenario as given, or swap in a real one from your own work. The score works the same either way.
Remember: the AI sees only your prompt, not this page. If the situation isn't in your prompt, it doesn't exist.
Optional. These shape the output when you run your prompt below, not your score.