Implementation and automation
Day 2 · Session 2

Implementation and automation

Automating an unstable process multiplies the mess. Stabilise, simplify, then automate the boring part.

Completed

Automate in this order

  1. 1
    Stabilise
    The steps are agreed and repeatable.
  2. 2
    Simplify
    Remove steps before wiring them together.
  3. 3
    Automate
    Take over the repetitive, rule-based part.
  4. 4
    Monitor
    Watch the signal that says it is failing.

What is safe to automate — and what is not

Good candidates
  • Reminders, release schedules and access setup
  • Collecting submissions and building trackers
  • Formatting, converting and publishing
  • First-pass drafts of routine responses
Keep human
  • Final marks and progression decisions
  • Judgement on safety-critical competence
  • Pastoral and disciplinary communication
  • Anything you could not defend to a moderator

Every automation needs a checkpoint

Pilot small

One class, one cycle, two weeks. Compare against the measure you chose while mapping. If it does not move the measure, stop it — do not scale it.

A worked example

StepBeforeAfter
Brief releaseManual email per groupScheduled release in the LMS
Submission chaseAd-hoc remindersAutomatic reminder at 48 hours
Marking batchAll 18 at the endBatches of 6, moderated as they finish
Feedback releaseAfter moderation of allReleased per batch, educator approved
Lead time9 days3 days (piloted, one class)
Hands-on35 min

Design one safe automation

Pick the most repetitive step in your future-state map.

0/5

Leave withA pilot-ready automation with a rollback.

Saved in this browser automatically.

Gemini Gems and Custom GPTs: reusable assistants

A Gem (in Gemini) or a Custom GPT (in ChatGPT) is a saved assistant: your instructions, your tone rules and your reference files, stored once and reused every time. This is the lightest automation available to an educator — you stop retyping the same prompt and the output becomes consistent across a team.

Why this counts as lean
  • Standard work: the instruction is written down instead of living in your head.
  • Less rework: the assistant already knows the level, format and quality bar.
  • Shareable: colleagues get the same output without your prompting skill.

Gem or Custom GPT — the same four parts

01
Role
Who the assistant is and who it serves.
02
Rules
What it must always and never do.
03
Knowledge
The files it may rely on.
04
Output
The exact format you want back.
Gemini GemsCustom GPTs
WhereGemini → Gems → New GemChatGPT → GPTs → Create
InstructionsSingle instruction boxInstructions box + starter questions
Your filesAttach reference files as knowledgeUpload knowledge files
SharingShare link within your workspaceLink, workspace or public
Best forFast personal standard workTeam-shared assistants with starters

Sample 1 · Assessment feedback assistant (Gem)

Gem instructions
Role: You are a feedback assistant for a TVET educator teaching [module] to first-year learners.
Rules:
- Use only the rubric and exemplar files provided as knowledge.
- Never award or suggest a final grade; the educator decides.
- Plain, respectful language at roughly a Year 9 reading level. No praise inflation.
- If evidence for a criterion is missing, say "not evidenced" rather than guessing.
Knowledge: rubric.pdf, exemplar-answers.pdf, module-outcomes.pdf
Output for every submission I paste:
1. Criterion-by-criterion comment (one or two sentences each, quoting the rubric wording).
2. Two specific strengths.
3. One next action the learner can do in the next practical session.
4. A flag list: anything needing my judgement or a local policy check.

Sample 2 · Practical session planner (Custom GPT)

Custom GPT instructions
Role: You plan hands-on TVET sessions for [programme], workshop-based, 90 minutes.
Rules:
- Every session must end with one observable outcome and a check for it.
- Respect the equipment list in the knowledge file; never assume extra machines.
- Always include a safety brief step and a clean-down step.
- Keep learner-facing text under 12 words per instruction line.
Knowledge: equipment-list.pdf, syllabus.pdf, safety-sop.pdf
Output: A timed table (time | educator move | learner action | check), then a short materials list, then a "needs my decision" list.
Starter questions:
- Plan a session on [topic]
- Make this session work with half the equipment
- Add a stretch task for fast finishers

Sample 3 · Learner support tutor (either platform)

Assistant instructions with hard boundaries
Role: You are a practice tutor for learners in [module]. You help them think, you do not do the work.
Rules:
- Never give a complete answer to an assessed task; ask a guiding question instead.
- Use only the notes in the knowledge files; if a topic is not covered, say so and tell the learner to ask the educator.
- No marks, no predictions of grades, no comments about the learner as a person.
- Stop and refer to the educator for anything about safety, wellbeing or deadlines.
Knowledge: class-notes.pdf, glossary.pdf
Output: One short explanation, then one practice question, then wait for the learner's attempt before continuing.
Before you share a Gem or GPT
  • Test it on three real cases you already know the right answer to.
  • Upload only material you are permitted to share; no learner names or records.
  • Keep the human checkpoint: you approve anything learners will see.
  • Date the instructions and review them each intake — treat them as standard work.

Claude Cowork: folders and skills

Claude home screen with the Cowork mode selected and a project or folder picker below the prompt box
Switch from Chat to Cowork (1), then point it at a project or folder (2).

Cowork moves Claude from answering questions to working through a job with your files. Two settings do most of the lean work: the folder you attach and the skills you save.

SettingWhat it doesLean use
Folder / projectGives Cowork a fixed set of files it may read and write in.One folder per module: syllabus, rubric, slides, exemplars. No hunting for the current version.
SkillA saved set of instructions plus reference files it applies every time.Standard work: your marking style, your handout format, your session-plan layout.
Manual vs autoControls whether it acts on its own or waits for you at each step.Keep Manual while you are still building trust in the output.
Set it up in four moves
  • Create one folder per module and keep only the current versions in it.
  • Attach the folder before you prompt, so every answer is grounded in your material.
  • Save your repeated request as a skill — name it after the task, not the tool.
  • Review the skill each intake and delete the parts you no longer use.
Cowork skill: weekly session pack
Skill: Weekly session pack for [module].
Files: syllabus.pdf, rubric.pdf, week-slides/ (attached folder only).
Steps: 1) Read this week's topic from the syllabus. 2) Draft a one-page session plan with timings. 3) Draft a learner handout with one worked example and three practice tasks. 4) List the equipment needed.
Rules: use only the attached folder; flag anything the files do not cover instead of inventing it; British English; no learner names.
Output: two files — session-plan.md and handout.md — plus a three-line summary of what I must check.

ChatGPT Work: plugins and skills

ChatGPT with the Work tab selected, showing a project picker, plugins and connected apps such as Gmail and Google Drive
The Work tab adds a project, plugins and connected apps to the same prompt box.

ChatGPT Work does the same job from the other side: instead of a local folder, it connects to the systems your material already lives in, and skills hold the instructions you reuse.

SettingWhat it doesLean use
ProjectGroups chats and files for one body of work.One project per module or per intake, so context is not re-explained.
Plugins / connected appsReads from Drive, Gmail and similar sources.Pull the live syllabus or feedback form instead of re-uploading copies.
SkillA saved instruction set plus reference files applied on demand.Marking comments, quiz drafting, announcement rewrites — same shape every time.
Keep the connection narrow
  • Connect one source folder, not your whole drive or inbox.
  • Never connect anything holding learner records or grades.
  • Say in the skill which source is authoritative when files disagree.
  • You still approve the output before it reaches learners.
Work skill: assessment feedback pack
Skill: Draft criterion feedback for [module] submissions.
Sources: rubric.pdf and exemplars/ in the connected module folder only.
Steps: 1) Match the submission to each rubric criterion. 2) Write one specific comment per criterion, quoting the learner's own work. 3) Add one next action the learner can do this week.
Rules: no marks or grades; no comments about the person; if evidence for a criterion is missing, say what is missing; flag anything I should check myself.
Output: a table of criterion, comment and next action, then a one-line summary for my records.
Hands-on30 min

Build one reusable assistant

Turn your most-repeated prompt into a Gem or Custom GPT.

0/5

Leave withA saved assistant that produces consistent, checkable output.

Saved in this browser automatically.

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Lean Digital Instruction — a practical workshop for TVET educators. 12-13 August 2026, Gamification Centre UNIMAS.
Facilitated by Dr Chuah Kee Man · www.chuahkeeman.com