Spaces Best Practices

Most poor Spaces results come from one of five causes: the wrong Space, missing source facts, vague outcomes, unclear ownership, or a workflow that has not been written down. The fix is usually not a longer prompt. The fix is better context in the right place.

Use this page when a Space feels confusing, inconsistent, or too much like generic chat.

For users

Start in the right Space

The Space is part of the instruction. If the work belongs to Customer Onboarding, start there. If it belongs to Finance, use Finance. If the Space has a special action such as Start onboarding, use it instead of typing a generic request.

Name the outcome

Say what should be true when the work is done.

Weak	Better
”Can you look at this?"	"Review this renewal packet and tell me what is missing before finance approval."
"Handle onboarding."	"Start onboarding for Acme and keep the missing-information task open until the AP contact is confirmed."
"Update the status."	"Summarize current onboarding progress and identify the next owner.”

Provide source facts

Give the agent the facts it cannot infer safely:

• names and emails;
• contract or source-document links;
• dates, amounts, addresses, and IDs;
• who owns the next step;
• whether a task is done, blocked, waiting, or not applicable;
• evidence for decisions.

Tell the agent how to share responsibility

Use Delegate when you want the agent to run a known playbook and return with exceptions.

Use Collaborate when the work needs your judgment.

Delegate this renewal checklist. Ask me only if a required source is missing.

Collaborate with me on this onboarding. Keep track of missing facts and draft the final review, but do not close it without me.

Answer missing-information prompts in the Thread

If the agent asks for missing intake, answer in the Thread. That keeps the source fact attached to the work record and lets the Goal Folder stay current.

For operators

Keep Space files short and specific

A Space file should help the agent act in this workroom. It should not be an encyclopedia.

Good Space files:

• state what work happens here;
• identify roles and owners;
• list required intake;
• include examples;
• name escalation paths;
• explain what not to do automatically.

Write examples

Examples are often more useful than abstract rules.

## Good user request

"Start onboarding for Acme. Order form is attached. Credit terms requested: Net 30.
AP contact is Priya Shah at priya@example.com."

## Bad user request

"Set up Acme."

Encode repeated work as Goals

If users keep asking the same kind of work and the agent keeps asking the same setup questions, the Space probably needs a Goal pattern. Write the outcome, progress model, completion rule, and review policy.

Keep review policy honest

Require human review for customer, credit, pricing, legal, compliance, or operational risk. Let low-risk work close with lighter review only when the Space has enough context and guardrails.

Tip

North Star: A strong Space should make the easy path the correct path. Users should not need to remember the hidden process if the Space files, triggers, composer, and Goal pattern already encode it.

Ad hoc tasks

Users can create or mention ad hoc tasks in a Thread:

Add a follow-up task for Eric to confirm the billing address.

That is fine. But when the Thread has a Goal, try to tie the task back to the Goal’s progress model:

• Is it a missing intake item?
• Is it a blocker?
• Is it a handoff?
• Does it change the completion rule?
• Should it be captured in HANDOFFS.md, DECISIONS.md, or PROGRESS.md?

ThinkWork should support ad hoc work without becoming a generic project-management clone. The Goal remains the workflow object.

Common failure modes

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
The agent asks for context the team already has.	Wrong Space or stale Space Workspace.	Move to the right Space or update Space files.
The answer is generic.	The request did not name a real outcome or source facts.	State the desired end state and attach or cite the source.
Progress looks stuck.	Required intake, owner, or evidence is missing.	Answer the missing-information prompt in the Thread.
The wrong person owns the next step.	The Space does not define owner rules clearly.	Update the Space file or tell the agent the owner in the Thread.
The agent tries to close too soon.	Completion rule or review policy is weak.	Use Changes and clarify the rule in the Space or Goal files.
Files and panel disagree.	Structured state has changed and narrative files may be catching up, or a file was edited without changing structured state.	Trust the structured progress panel for status; use files for context and rationale.

Good and bad examples

Situation	Weak message	Better message
Start workflow	”New customer."	"Start onboarding for Northwind. Signed order form attached. They want Net 30, tax exempt is unknown, AP contact is missing.”
Update status	”What’s going on?"	"Give me onboarding status for Northwind. Highlight blockers, owner, and what I need to answer next.”
Complete task	”Done."	"Run credit check is complete. Credit limit approved at $10k. Mark that item complete and record the decision.”
Ask for changes	”Not right."	"Changes needed: final review should mention the missing tax exemption form and assign Accounting as owner.”
Delegate	”Do the thing."	"Delegate the weekly finance digest. Use the existing Space rules and ask only if a source report is missing.”
Collaborate	”Help me."	"Collaborate with me on this renewal review. Track open questions and wait for my decision before final recommendation.”

Troubleshooting checklist

When a Space result feels off, check in this order:

1. Are you in the right Space?
2. Did you state the outcome?
3. Did you provide the source facts?
4. Did the Space files contain the right instructions?
5. Is this really a Goal workflow, not ordinary chat?
6. Is ownership clear?
7. Is completion and review policy clear?
8. Are you expecting the agent to use a tool or integration that is not available yet?

Related pages

• Spaces Guide - start of the practical guide.
• Build a Space - operator authoring guidance.
• Work in a Space - user workflow guidance.
• Goals and Files - how workflow state is represented.
• Admin - Spaces - operator UI reference.