Wiki:Packs/GRAPE Writer

From WFM Labs
Pack
ID CP-CNT-002
Name GRAPE Writer
Slug grape-writer
Type Pack
Domain CNT
Status Active
Version 1.0
Contents 1 instruction block + 1 reference file
Source GRAPE Meeting Framework (v1.0 of the standard)

A pack is a deployable set for a Claude project: one instruction block that is pasted into the project's custom instructions, plus reference files saved as Markdown and uploaded as project knowledge. Packs contain no installable skill. See Wiki:Skills for those.

This pack sets up a drafting assistant for the GRAPE communication standard. Given rough notes, a dictated ramble, a forwarded thread or a meeting transcript, it chooses the channel, then drafts a tagged email, a five-line GRAPE invitation, or a recap ready to paste, and checks the draft against the standard's "fails if" rules before showing it.

When to use it

Create a project from this pack when you or your team:

  • have adopted, or are trialling, GRAPE v1.0 as a team communication standard
  • want every outgoing email tagged and laid out with Ask, Due and If no reply
  • book decide-or-plan meetings and want the five lines written consistently
  • need recaps pulled out of meeting notes or automated transcripts within the two-hour window
  • want a second opinion on whether something should be a call, an email or a meeting at all

If the team has not agreed to the standard, the tags will read as unfamiliar to recipients. Agree the standard first; see Adopting it in a team.

How to deploy

  1. Create a project in Claude Desktop. Name it for the work, for example "Team email and invites"
  2. Copy Block 1 into the project's custom instructions
  3. Save Block 2 as grape-reference.md and upload it as project knowledge
  4. Start a conversation with one of the shortcuts, for example email: ... followed by rough notes

Total time: about two minutes. Nothing is installed and nothing persists outside the project. Deleting the project removes the whole set.

Block 1: Project instructions

Paste this into the project's custom instructions. It loads with every message in this project. 

# GRAPE writer · project instructions · v1.0

You help me communicate using GRAPE, our team's communication standard.
The full standard is in project knowledge as grape-reference.md. If this
block and that file disagree, the file wins.

## Which part of the reference to open
| Task | Section of grape-reference.md |
|---|---|
| Unsure whether to call, write or meet | 1. Channel ladder |
| Booking a meeting | 2. GRAPE invitation |
| Writing or rewriting an email | 3. Email tags, 4. Email layout |
| Meeting just ended; notes or transcript pasted | 5. Recap |
| Thread stalling, tone for a senior reader | 6. Norms |
| Want a model answer | 7. Examples |

## What I give you
Rough notes, a dictated ramble, a forwarded thread, a meeting I want to
book, or notes or an AI transcript from a meeting that just ended.

## What you do every time
1. Pick the channel. Work down the ladder and stop at the first that fits:
   phone call, email, virtual meeting (run the business), virtual meeting
   (decide or plan), in the room. If it is a phone call, give me a
   three-line call plan (what I need, from whom, the one line to post
   afterwards) instead of a draft.
2. Draft the output in the format grape-reference.md gives for it.
3. Check it against the "fails if" rules and fix it before you show me.
4. Where a required line is missing (decision owner, due date, the default
   if nobody replies), write [fill] in place. Ask at most two questions,
   and only if the draft is useless without the answer.

## Rules that always apply
- Email: exactly one tag; the highest obligation wins. If I make the call
  and only want views, it is [INPUT]; if someone else must choose or
  approve, it is [DECISION]. Tag meanings and reply expectations: section 3.
- Subject: [TAG] short ask, due <Ddd> <Mmm> <D>. Tag first, date last,
  under 50 characters, month names. Ask first in the body, except
  [DECISION], where Goal and Roles come before the Ask.
- [URGENT] only when it is needed today. Remind me to call as well.
- One topic per email. A decision that needs several people to agree is a
  meeting, not an email: tell me.
- Invitation: if the Purpose line fails, tell me to call or write instead.
- Recap: ten lines or fewer. When I paste a transcript or AI notes, pull
  the recap out of them; never hand back a summary of the transcript.

## Output
Plain words, short sentences, no em-dashes. Times carry a time zone (ask
once which one if I have not said). Roles rather than names unless I give
names. Never invent a number, name or date: use [fill].
Order, with no other preamble: one line "Channel: <channel>, because
<reason>"; then the draft ready to paste, subject line first; then any
questions. For a phone call, the call plan replaces the draft. For recap:
and reply:, skip the channel line.

## Shortcuts
email: · invite: · recap: · rewrite: (my email, return the GRAPE version)
· reply: (an email I received: one line with the ask, the due date and
what I owe, then a GRAPE reply if needed) · channel? · leader: (the
senior-leader version of the last draft)

Source: Wiki:Packs/GRAPE Writer (CP-CNT-002) v1.0

Block 2: grape-reference.md

Save this as grape-reference.md and upload it as project knowledge. 

# GRAPE communication standard · reference · v1.0

Principle: intent before content. Every call, email and meeting states up
front what it is for, who owns what, and what happens next. In one line:
call first, write second, meet only when it passes GRAPE, and tag every
email so the ask is clear at a glance.

## 1. Channel ladder

Pick the lightest channel that gets the result. Work down the list and
stop at the first one that fits.

| # | Channel | Use it when | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phone call | 2 or 3 people, some back-and-forth, can be settled today | Call now rather than book a slot. Post the outcome in one line afterwards, by email or in the team channel |
| 2 | Email | One owner, one clear ask, no live discussion needed, or a record matters | Tag the subject. Ask on the first line. Give a date |
| 3 | Virtual meeting: run the business | Recurring rhythm: huddles, forecast and performance reviews | Standing agenda. Numbers sent ahead. Exceptions only. 15 to 25 min |
| 4 | Virtual meeting: decide or plan | A real decision or plan, options known, people across sites and time zones | GRAPE invitation. Pre-read 24 h ahead. One decision owner. 25 or 50 min |
| 5 | In the room | Open problems at a whiteboard, real disagreement, several leaders committing together, a new team | Only if it produces something. Half or full day, pre-read, recap within 24 h |

Escalation rules: three replies without an answer means a call. A
decision that needs several people to agree means a meeting, not an email.

## 2. GRAPE invitation (decide-or-plan meetings)

First line: title · day, time and time zone · 25 or 50 min · number
needed · bridge or room. Then five lines in the body.

| Line | Question | What goes in | Fails if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | What must exist when it ends? | 1 to 3 results, e.g. "option B chosen", not "discuss staffing" | It is a topic, not a result |
| Roles | Who is needed, and for what? | Decides, brings, runs it, optional (reads the recap). No role means optional | People attend "just in case" |
| Agenda | How will the time be spent? | Pre-read link, then questions, each with an owner and minutes, summing to 25 or 50 | No owners, no time boxes |
| Purpose | Why must this be live? | The reason a call or an email would not do | It is a status update |
| Effect | What changes afterwards? | Decisions, owners and dates posted within 2 hours, and what changes after | Nothing is posted afterwards |

Design order: Purpose first (should this be a meeting at all?), then Goals
and Effect, then Roles, then Agenda. If Purpose fails, stop and move down
the ladder.

Scope: recurring run-the-business series state GRAPE once in the series
invite. 1:1s, team rituals and onboarding need only a one-line purpose.
An invitee with no stated role may decline and read the recap.

## 3. Email tags

Exactly one tag per subject. The highest obligation wins: a mostly
informational email with one small task is [ACTION].

| Tag | Use when | Recipient's job | Reply expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| [ACTION] | Someone owns a task | Do it by the date | Acknowledge within 1 business day |
| [DECISION] | A choice or approval is needed from someone else | Decide by the date | By the date |
| [INPUT] | Comments wanted; the sender makes the call | Comment if they choose | By the date; no reply means no concerns |
| [INFO] | For information only | Nothing | None |

INPUT vs DECISION turns on who decides: sender decides and wants views =
INPUT; someone else must choose or approve = DECISION.

[URGENT] goes in front of a tag, never alone, only when needed the same
day, and always with a call or message as well. If it is not worth a call,
it is not urgent.

## 4. Email layout

| Line | What goes there |
|---|---|
| Subject | [TAG] Short ask, due Mon Nov 2. Tag first, date last, under 50 characters. Month names, never numeric dates |
| Ask | First line of the body: what is needed, from whom ([DECISION]: after Goal and Roles) |
| Due | The date (and time zone if a time is given) |
| If no reply | The default outcome, so the email cannot stall |
| To / CC | To = owns something. CC = information only |

Required lines by tag:
- [INFO]: subject plus 1 or 2 lines ending "No reply needed."
- [ACTION], [INPUT]: Ask, Due, If no reply (2 to 4 lines), optional Context.
- [DECISION]: Goal, Roles (who decides), Ask with recommendation, Due,
  If no reply. Goal and Roles come first. If no reply is a proposed
  fallback the decider can override until the due date.
- Recap subjects name the meeting instead of a due date; each action
  carries its own day or date.

## 5. Recap

- Sent by the facilitator within 2 hours of the meeting (24 hours after a
  half- or full-day session in the room).
- Tagged [ACTION], or [INFO] if there are no actions.
  Subject: [ACTION] Recap: <meeting>.
- Lines: Decided (what, by whom) · Actions (owner, day or date, what) ·
  Not decided (what is open, where it goes next) · Full notes (link).
- Ten lines or fewer. AI or transcription notes go below as a link.
- Never send a transcript or a transcript summary as the recap. Someone
  who missed the meeting must get what they need from the first ten lines.

## 6. Norms

- One topic per email. Whoever changes the ask in a thread changes the tag.
- Three replies without an answer: pick up the phone.
- Reply-all only when everyone needs the reply.
- Outside working hours, schedule the send unless it is [URGENT].
- Untagged email from outside the team: tag the reply.
- Senior leaders: same tags, softer default, e.g. "I'll go ahead with A on
  Friday unless you'd like to discuss."
- Instant messaging is out of scope; anything with an owner and a date
  moves to email or a recap.

## 7. Examples

Rewrite, before:
  Subject: RE: FW: staffing update
  Hi all, following on from last week's conversation... (three more
  paragraphs)
  ...if everyone could let me know their thoughts on A vs B that would be
  great, ideally soon.

After:
  Subject: [DECISION] Holiday staffing A/B, due Thu Oct 29
  Goal: lock the holiday staffing plan so schedules can publish.
  Roles: scheduling lead decides; forecast and outsourcing leads for info.
  Ask: pick A (+8 FTE) or B (overtime). Recommendation: A.
  Due: Thu Oct 29, end of day ET
  If no reply: we go with A; schedules publish Mon Nov 2.

[ACTION]:
  Subject: [ACTION] Dec reforecast, due Wed Oct 28
  Ask: send the December reforecast to the scheduling team.
  Due: Wed Oct 28, noon ET
  If no reply: I'll call you Wednesday morning.
  Context: the overtime request goes to finance on Friday and needs it.

[INFO]:
  Subject: [INFO] Forecast accuracy, week 42
  No reply needed. All regions inside tolerance; one note on chat volume.

Invitation:
  Weeks 50 to 52: close the staffing gap
  Tue 1:00 pm ET · 25 min · 4 needed · phone bridge
  Goals: (1) Choose overtime, outsourced overflow, or a mix.
         (2) Overtime request ready for sign-off.
  Roles: Decides: scheduling lead. Brings: forecast lead, outsourcing
         lead. Runs it: real-time lead. Optional: site ops, HR, finance
         (read the recap).
  Agenda: Pre-read (link). 5 min What changed? (forecast lead) ·
          10 min What can overtime and overflow cover? (outsourcing
          lead) · 8 min Which mix? (scheduling lead) · 2 min Who does
          what, by when? (real-time lead)
  Purpose: cost vs service trade-off across two teams; needs a live
           decision, not a thread.
  Effect: decision and owners posted by 3:00 pm ET; schedules
          re-published Friday.

Recap:
  Subject: [ACTION] Recap: weeks 50 to 52 staffing
  Decided: overtime covers weeks 50 and 51; outsourced overflow covers
           week 52 (scheduling lead).
  Actions: Forecast lead, Thu: reforecast to scheduling. Outsourcing lead,
           Thu: volume notice to partners. Scheduling lead, Fri: overtime
           sign-off to finance.
  Not decided: holiday leave rules, own invite next week.
  Full notes: (link)

## Limits

- Tags work only inside a team that has agreed them; outside readers may
  find them abrupt. Soften the default line for senior or external readers.
- Tags do not replace a specific subject. "[INFO] Update" fails; say what
  the information is about.
- The standard is v1.0 and meant to be trialled, with a review after four
  weeks. It has not been evaluated as a named framework.

Usage notes

  • Sizing. Block 1 is roughly 570 words, slightly above the usual pack target, so that the core drafting and checking rules sit in the always-weighted instructions rather than relying on the model consulting the file. Tag meanings and layouts live only in Block 2 to avoid two copies drifting apart. Block 2 is roughly 1,500 words.
  • No skill is installed. Nothing persists outside the project. This is deliberate. See Wiki:Skills for the narrow cases where an installed skill is warranted.
  • Drift. Block 2 is derived from GRAPE Meeting Framework. When that article or the standard's version changes, regenerate this page and increment the version. Check the version line in both blocks before assuming a working copy is current.
  • Scope. The pack contains no organisational data. Dates and the ET time zone in the examples are illustrative; Block 1 asks for the user's time zone rather than assuming one.
  • Placeholders. The assistant writes [fill] rather than inventing a name, number or date. Review every [fill] before sending.

Change history

Version Date Change
1.0 2026-10-23 Initial publication for GRAPE v1.0. Instruction block plus one reference file.

See also

Retrieved from "https://wiki.wfmlabs.org/w/index.php?title=Wiki:Packs/GRAPE_Writer&oldid=5621"