Overview
Claude Cowork works differently from chat. Rather than answering one prompt at a time, it takes on a whole task such as researching a market, tidying a folder or preparing a report, shows you its plan, and works through it while you keep control. This course teaches you to hand work over well and to check what comes back.
You will learn how to write assignments with a clear goal, material, limits and acceptance criteria, to read and correct the plan before work starts, and to review the results against the source files. Along the way you will hand over three real tasks, set up a scheduled task and agree safe-working rules for your own use.
Who it's for
People who want to delegate whole tasks to Claude instead of chatting step by step. It is especially suited to:
- Knowledge workers and analysts
- Executive and personal assistants
- Project managers
- Department leads and managers
Prerequisites
- Basic experience of Claude
- No programming knowledge is needed
By the end of this course you will be able to
- Explain what Cowork can do on its own and how delegating differs from chatting and from using Claude Code
- Write assignments with a goal, material, limits, approval points and acceptance criteria
- Have documents, spreadsheets and presentations created from a folder, and check them against the sources
- Hand over research from the question to a finished, sourced report
- Use plugins, Skills, connectors and scheduled tasks for recurring work
- Set approval points, keep copies of important files and limit folder access so delegated work stays safe
Course outline
Times show the standard running order and can be adjusted when we tailor the course to your team. The trainer stays available during breaks to help anyone finish an exercise.
Welcome & orientation 10 min
How the day runs, and the three real tasks each person wants to delegate.
From chat to delegated work 40 min
What Cowork is, and how it differs from chat and from Claude Code. Giving it access to a folder, then following its plan, progress display and interim results. Which tasks suit delegation and which do not.
Try it: Sort three tasks from your own week by whether they suit Cowork.
Writing good assignments 45 min
An assignment brief that works: the goal, the material, the limits, the approval points and the acceptance criteria, laid out with the GCES method (Goal, Context, Expectations, Source). Reading the proposed plan before work starts, then letting it run and steering when needed.
Try it: Write an assignment for a real task and evaluate the plan Cowork proposes.
Documents and files 50 min
Tidying folders, renaming and filing files, combining reports from several files, and having Excel tables and PowerPoint drafts created. Checking every result against the source files.
Try it: Have a status report with a task list created from a folder of meeting minutes, and spot-check it against the minutes.
Research through to the report 50 min
Web research with named sources and exclusions, and using Claude in Chrome for research on websites. Checking the sources and asking for supporting passages before you rely on a claim.
Try it: Hand over a market or vendor research as a table with sources, then spot-check three entries.
Plugins, Skills and connectors 35 min
Plugins and Skills that package recurring workflows, and connectors to mail, calendar and file storage, with a note on which permissions each one needs.
Try it: Choose one plugin or Skill and one connector that would help your recurring work, and list the access each needs.
Scheduled tasks 30 min
Setting up a scheduled task, such as a weekly report every Friday. What a scheduled task can use, and what it needs to run: your computer awake and the Claude desktop app open.
Try it: Set up a scheduled task for a recurring report and run it once.
Working safely 35 min
Releasing only the folders a task needs, keeping a copy before larger changes, and approving deletes and outgoing messages yourself. Choosing an approval mode that matches the risk, and spotting hidden instructions in files and web pages (prompt injection).
Try it: Write three safe-working rules for Cowork in your own work.
Hands-on: delegate, review and give feedback 40 min
Delegate a real task from your own work, review the result against the source material, and give feedback so the next attempt is better. Correcting a plan or result without starting again.
• Delegate a real task of your own and review the plan before it runs.
• Check the result against the source material.
• Give Cowork written feedback and compare the improved result.
Close 10 min
Recap of the day and your safe-working rules.
What you'll need
Claude
- A Claude account on a plan that includes Cowork (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise). On Team and Enterprise, an administrator may need to enable Cowork.
- The Claude desktop app on a supported computer, with permission to give Claude access to a folder.
- Plugins, Skills and connectors are available according to your plan and your organisation's settings. If one is unavailable, the exercise runs as a demonstration.
Preparation
- A test folder with anonymised work files, such as meeting minutes, reports and spreadsheets.
- Basic experience of Claude.
Practice files are provided for every exercise. You are welcome to use your own everyday documents where your organisation's policy allows.