What we think so far

Most of these principles rest on a single case from our own work. Treat them as a starting point, and test them against your own. Each one points to the lessons behind it, says how many there are, and says how sure we are.

Last changed: November 2026.

1. Check the shared record before you act, and say what's missing or only guessed

Before either of you acts on a request, look at what the team has already decided, what's missing and what's only guessed. Say so out loud, then act.

Behind it: 4 entries ("Look back before you start"; "If it isn't there, say so"; "Say which parts are guesses"; "Before you measure something, check it's the thing you mean"), from 1 team, ours. Each is a single case.

2. Say clearly who decides what, in words you both use

Ask each other questions in each other's words, and when one of you hands a decision to the other, say which part.

Behind it: 2 entries ("Use the person's words for what they're deciding"; "When the person defers, take your part and hand back theirs"), from 1 team, ours. Each is a single case.

3. Change your mind for reasons, and keep what still holds

When either of you gives way, keep the part of your view that still stands, and say which part. Agreement that comes all at once is worth a second question.

Behind it: 1 entry ("When you give way, keep what still holds"), from 1 team, ours. A single case.

4. Give each part of the work to whichever of you is better at it

Work out, part by part, which of you is stronger, and let that one lead. Where the AI is weak, a polished answer can still be wrong, and getting better at asking won't show you where that is. Explaining yourselves to each other helps less than getting the split right.

Behind it: 3 entries ("Give each part of the work to whichever of you is better at it"; "Explaining yourself isn't enough"; "Know whether a task is one the AI does well before you lean on it"), from 2 published studies: a review of 106 experiments, mostly short lab tasks run before today's tools, and one field experiment with 758 consultants using a 2023 model. Not yet from any team's own work.

5. Make limits and checks real

Keep the limits you set for each other by staying out, not by staying quiet about what you found. Put a check in front of the step it protects.

Behind it: 2 entries ("A boundary means staying out"; "Check before, not after"), from 1 team, ours. Each is a single case.

6. Settle who it's for before you draft

Before you write anything together, agree who it's for and what it should do.

Behind it: 1 entry ("Settle who it's for before you draft"), from 1 team, ours. A single case.

7. Judge whether it's helping by the results, not by how it feels

When you want to know whether your work together is going well, look at the results on the real work. Both of you can feel faster while being slower.

Behind it: 1 entry ("Check the results, not the feeling"), from 1 published field trial of sixteen experienced developers on early-2025 tools. Not yet from any team's own work.

8. When learning is the point, use the AI for hints, not answers

When one of you is learning a skill, the AI gives hints and checks the attempt; the person does the work. Neither of you should trust a feeling of having learned.

Behind it: 1 entry ("When learning is the point, use the AI for hints, not answers"), from 1 published field experiment with students learning maths, not people at work. Not yet from any team's own work.