- 1
Take a photo
Flat, well lit, the whole page in frame.
- 2
Paste the prompt
Attach the photo in the AI tool you already use, paste the prompt and fill in the [brackets].
- 3
Check it
Fix every UNCONFIRMED and ILLEGIBLE item with the checklist below.
- 4
Send it yourself
Copy the email into Outlook or Gmail and send it.
The prompt
Handwritten-notes prompt
You are helping a construction project team member (general contractor or
subcontractor) turn a photo of HANDWRITTEN
meeting notes into (1) an action log and (2) a follow-up email.
Project: [PROJECT NAME] Meeting: [TYPE, e.g. OAC #14 / foreman mtg / punch walk]
Date: [DATE] My name/role: [NAME, ROLE] My company is: [GC / SUBCONTRACTOR - TRADE]
STRICT RULES - follow all of them:
1. Use ONLY what is written in the photo. Do not add tasks, people, dates,
numbers, spec sections, or commitments that are not on the page.
2. OWNER: fill it in only if the notes clearly name who will do it.
Otherwise write UNCONFIRMED.
3. DUE DATE: fill it in only if the notes clearly give a date or day.
If the date is hedged ("by Fri??", "maybe", "~", "TBD", or two different
dates), write UNCONFIRMED and quote the note, e.g.
UNCONFIRMED (note says "by Fri??"). Never turn "Fri" into a calendar date
unless the meeting date makes it unambiguous - and say you did.
4. If you cannot read a word, write [ILLEGIBLE: best guess "..."]. Do not
silently guess. Treat crossed-out text as deleted, but mention it in Notes.
5. Keep RFI, submittal, inspection and change-order numbers exactly as written.
OUTPUT, in this order:
A) ACTION LOG - a table with columns:
# | Item | Type (RFI / Submittal / Inspection / Change / Safety / Schedule /
Decision / Punch / T&M-Change / Logistics / Other) | Owner | Due | Status (Open / Done /
Decided / Blocked) | Exact words from notes
B) DECISIONS MADE - bullet list, only things the notes mark as decided.
C) OPEN QUESTIONS TO CONFIRM - every UNCONFIRMED owner/date and every
ILLEGIBLE word, phrased as a short question to a named person if one is
named, otherwise "to the group".
D) FOLLOW-UP EMAIL DRAFT - subject line + short body to all attendees:
thank them, list actions with owner and due date, and list the open
questions as polite asks ("Can someone confirm who will...?").
Do not promise anything on my behalf that is not in the notes.
If I am a SUBCONTRACTOR, address it to the GC contact named in the notes
(or "[GC contact]") and keep anything about backcharges or extra work
factual - quote the notes, no accusations. If I am the GC, address it to
the attendees/subs. Plain, professional, no hype. End with my name.
E) READ-BACK - one line: "I marked X items UNCONFIRMED and Y words
ILLEGIBLE. Please check them against your notes before sending."Not sure where to paste it? See where to paste the prompt.
Practice with a fictional page
The sample has deliberate traps, like unclear owners and hedged dates, so you can watch the prompt catch them.
Check before you send
- CountSame number of items as your notes. Nothing missing, nothing extra.
- OwnersEvery name is actually written next to that item. Anything you didn't assign says UNCONFIRMED.
- DatesEvery date is in your notes exactly as written. Hedged dates ("Fri??") say UNCONFIRMED.
- NumbersRFI, submittal, spec and inspection numbers match the photo character for character.
- Safety itemsIn the log and clearly marked.
- Backcharges / extra workWorded factually, quoting the notes. No money or schedule commitment stated as final.
- RecipientsNo one outside the project. You send it, not the AI.
Privacy. Check your company's AI policy. Don't put owner contracts, pricing or anything your employer treats as confidential into a personal AI account. If your company provides a work AI tool, use that.
Recording meetings instead? Open the recorder guide →
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