AI Playbook

Claude Playbook

A practical system for Palm Build teammates to get clear, high-quality outputs from Claude without technical setup.

How Claude Fits into Palm Build

Claude works best as your always-available teammate for writing, summarizing, planning, and organizing work. You focus on the goal; Claude helps shape the output.

Quick Start

  • - Open claude.ai in your browser and sign in with your work email.
  • - Start with one clear goal: what you need, for whom, and why.
  • - Paste one of the prompt templates from the Prompt Library page.
  • - Iterate by asking for changes instead of starting over.
  • - Save final outputs to Drive and share with your team.

Golden Rules

Context Wins

Include job details, audience, timeline, and constraints so Claude can produce useful output on the first try.

Specify Format

Ask explicitly for email, checklist, SOP, summary, or table to avoid rework.

Iterate in Thread

Use follow-ups like "make this shorter" or "rewrite in a friendlier tone" to improve quickly.

Protect Sensitive Data

Do not paste highly sensitive private data such as banking info, SSNs, or passwords.

Claude Is Great At

  • - Professional writing and editing
  • - Summarizing long docs and email threads
  • - Converting rough notes into structured outputs
  • - Creating SOPs, guides, and checklists
  • - Preparing talking points and decision options

Watch Outs

  • - Not reliable for very recent real-time events
  • - May confidently output incorrect facts in niche cases
  • - Does not automatically know your company context
  • - Should not replace legal, medical, or compliance experts

Before & After — Prompt Quality Matters

Writing an email

Bad Prompt

"Write me an email to a customer."

No context — Claude has to guess everything.

Good Prompt

"Write a professional email to Mrs. Johnson, a homeowner whose kitchen had water damage. I'm the project manager at Palm Build. We finished the mitigation yesterday and I need to explain next steps for reconstruction. Tone: warm but professional."

Claude knows the audience, context, your role, and the tone — output is usable immediately.

Summarizing a document

Bad Prompt

"Summarize this."

No guidance on what matters — you'll get a generic summary.

Good Prompt

"Summarize this insurance adjuster email thread. Focus on: what was approved, what was denied, any action items for our team, and any deadlines mentioned. Format as bullet points."

Claude knows exactly what to extract and how to format it.

Creating a report

Bad Prompt

"Make me a job site report."

Missing every detail — date, address, work done, crew.

Good Prompt

"Create a job site report for 123 Oak St, water mitigation job. Date: Jan 15. Crew: Mike, Sarah, Dave. Completed: set up 4 dehumidifiers, 6 air movers, removed wet drywall in kitchen. Issue: found mold behind cabinet — need to scope additional work. Format for insurance adjuster sharing."

Specific, detailed, and formatted for the right audience.

Advanced Tips

Troubleshooting

Response is too long

Ask: "Make this shorter and focus on top 3 action items."

Tone is off

Ask: "Rewrite this in a calm, professional homeowner-facing tone."

Output misses the point

Add context: who this is for, what outcome you need, and any constraints.

Potentially wrong details

Ask Claude to cite assumptions, then verify important figures before sending.