Choosing the right AI approach

Start with the simplest useful approach #

For rewriting a short piece of approved text or generating initial ideas, a clear prompt may be enough. Define the result and review it before adding tools or extra steps.

• Simple task with supplied material: start with one clear brief.
• Task depending on background: provide a focused context pack.
• Task needing external evidence: retrieve relevant sources and verify them.
• Repeated multi-step task: define a workflow with review points.

Compare two situations #

Improving the tone of an email mainly needs the draft, audience and tone constraints. Comparing supplier proposals needs both proposals, selection criteria and verified commercial details. A connected search or autonomous agent is not automatically necessary for either.

Task: compare two approved proposals.
Inputs: proposal A, proposal B, budget and selection criteria.
Steps: extract terms → identify gaps → compare → human decision.
Stop: ask for missing terms; do not invent prices.

Add complexity only for a clear reason #

Ask what each added step achieves, what can fail and how you will notice. When actions affect other people or systems, define permissions and approval points before enabling them.