From Decision to Execution
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A follow-up live demo showing how the same research-brief skill from 4.2 handles the next research question that always follows a decision — we decided X, now how do we actually execute it? Same skill, new context, deeper clarifying questions.
Core Concept
The research-brief skill is not a one-shot tool. It is the muscle you use every time a decision creates a new research question — which is most of the time. This chapter shows the iteration loop. The same skill, called again on the follow-up, digging deeper each pass. The teaching point isn’t a new pattern — it’s that the pattern keeps working as you go deeper into any topic.
How It Works (Step-by-Step)
Step 1 — Recognize the follow-up question
Every decision creates a next question. You decided what to do — now you need to know how to do it. In this chapter’s example: the decision from 4.2 (hypothetically switching from HubSpot to Attio) creates the follow-up — what is the migration playbook.
Step 2 — Reuse the skill with new context
Invoke /research-brief on the same skill you used in 4.2. No new template. No new setup. Give it the new prompt.
“We’ve decided to move forward with transitioning from HubSpot to Attio. Use our research brief template to research the exact steps we’d need to take. We have quite a lot of automations with Notion, PostHog, and others — I don’t need automation-level detail, but I want all the bases covered. Please ask me any clarifying questions.”
Notice — same skill, same template, different context. That’s the whole reuse.
Step 3 — Answer the clarifying questions honestly
The skill enters execution-planning mode and surfaces a set of clarifying questions before it starts researching. Typical shape:
- Who owns the migration?
- How deep is your current usage of the tool you’re leaving?
- What direction do your automations run?
- What’s the deadline?
- DIY, or assisted migration?
This is where the value compounds. Answer specifically — vague answers here mean vague briefs later. In the demo, Cameron answered — he owns it with one RevOps teammate; usage is very deep (tickets, contacts, entire database); automations run multi-directionally (Facebook → HubSpot → Notion, PostHog → HubSpot, etc.); no specific deadline (just get it right); DIY, but open to assisted.
Step 4 — Approve the deepening research
Cowork will flag gaps in your knowledge before it starts researching. In the demo, it noticed the ticketing conflict — Cameron had said tickets flow through HubSpot, but Attio doesn’t have native ticketing. That’s not Cowork failing; that’s Cowork doing its job. It asked whether to research ticketing alternatives, whether to include a migration-tooling compare table, and where it should focus depth. Approve the deeper pass and let it run.
Step 5 — Iterate: dig, dig, dig
You do not stop at the first brief. Every answer opens two new questions. Keep asking. Keep pushing. The clarifying-question loop is what gets you a genuinely useful brief — not the first output.
Step 6 — Push the deliverable into your downstream tools
Once the brief is done, you don’t need to leave the workflow. Ask Cowork to format it into a Notion doc. Send it via Gmail. Convert it into a shared Google Doc. Whatever downstream tool your connectors reach. The brief is the content; the connectors are the distribution.
Why This Matters
Most people use AI for the first question and stop there. The people who get real value use the same tools for the second, third, fourth. Iteration is the whole game. This chapter proves the skill scales — and models the habit of pushing deeper instead of accepting the first output.
What Should Be Possible After This
- Reuse an installed skill on a follow-up question without rebuilding context.
- Answer clarifying questions specifically enough to shape a useful brief.
- Approve deeper research passes when Cowork surfaces gaps.
- Push a completed brief into a downstream tool via connectors.
Appendix — The Follow-Up Prompt
The follow-up prompt from the demo, adapted for reuse.
/research-brief
We've decided to [DECISION FROM PREVIOUS BRIEF]. Use the research brief template to research the exact steps we'd need to take to execute this. We have [RELEVANT CONTEXT ABOUT SYSTEMS / SCALE / CONSTRAINTS]. I don't need [level-of-detail limits], but I want all the bases covered. Please ask me any clarifying questions.
You now have a repeatable process for turning any decision into a written brief — and for reusing that same skill every time a decision creates the next research question. The research-brief skill runs the workflow. The template holds the shape. Your job is picking the question, answering the clarifying questions honestly, and iterating until the brief is genuinely useful. Every time you’re tempted to open ten browser tabs, remember — you can just brief it, iterate, brief it again, push it downstream.
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