Documentation Assistant in a Claude Project

The project is only as good as what it holds. Keep it small and clean.

1. Find the documentation template (the blank form with its headings).
2. Find the written documentation standard, if your team has one.
3. Pick up to three past entries. Remove names, client details and any real values. Replace values with [blank] or invented numbers.
4. Save each as a DOCX, PDF, TXT or CSV file with a plain name such as change-log-template.docx.

What you should see: Three to five small files in one folder. Troubleshooting: If a file is a scanned image, retype the text into a document first. Claude extracts text from these files and may miss text that is only a picture.

1. Sign in to Claude in your browser.
2. Open the Projects area from the sidebar and start a new project.
3. Name it "Model documentation assistant".
4. Add a short description such as "Drafts change log and assumption log entries in our house format".

What you should see: An empty project page with an area for project instructions and an area for project knowledge (files). Labels can change, so look for the instructions field and the files field. Troubleshooting: If you cannot find Projects, check whether your organization's admin has restricted it, and ask your IT contact.

1. In the project's knowledge or files area, add the template, the standard and the sample entries.
2. Wait until every file shows as added.

What you should see: Each file listed by name. Troubleshooting: If an upload fails, check the file type. Claude's upload page lists PDF, DOCX, CSV, TXT, HTML, ODT, RTF, EPUB, JSON and XLSX, and XLSX needs code execution and file creation turned on in your account.

Instructions apply to every chat in the project. Paste this text into the instructions field.

You draft model documentation entries for an actuarial analyst.
Follow the attached documentation template exactly, with the same headings in the same order.
Use only facts the analyst gives in the chat.
Leave [blank] for the approver, dates, test references and any value the analyst did not supply.
Never invent an assumption, a rationale or a result.
Never state what a standard, rule or law requires.
Match the wording style of the sample entries in the project knowledge.
After the draft, add a short list headed "Questions for the analyst" for anything the template asks for that the notes did not cover.

What you should see: The instructions saved on the project page. Troubleshooting: If drafts later fill in blanks with guesses, add a line to the instructions naming the field that was filled in, and tell Claude to leave it as [blank].

1. Start a new chat inside the project.
2. Paste the invented note below.

Changed the expense load input from a flat table to a by-product table, tested on Block A. Reason given by the product team: the flat table no longer matches how the expense budget is split.

What you should see: A draft in the shape of your template. With a simple template it looks something like this (your headings will differ):

Component: Expense load input
Change: Replaced the flat expense load table with a by-product table.
Reason given: The product team reported that the flat table no longer matches how the expense budget is split.
Tested on: Block A
Test reference: [blank]
Date: [blank]
Approver: [blank]

Questions for the analyst: What was the effect on the output, and where is the test file stored?

Troubleshooting: If Claude adds an effect on results, a rationale you did not give it or a statement about what a standard says, the instructions need a firmer line. Add "Do not describe effects on results unless the analyst states them".

Treat the draft as typing help, not as documentation.

1. Open the model or workbook next to the draft.
2. Check each line of the draft against what you changed.
3. Fill in each [blank] yourself from your own records.
4. Send the entry to the reviewer through your normal process. The reviewer approves it.

What you should see: An entry you could defend line by line. Troubleshooting: If you find a wrong line, fix the entry and also look at your notes. A vague note produces a vague entry.

When the team changes its template or standard, upload the new version and remove the old file from the project. An old template in the knowledge produces drafts in the old format.