Real Cases From Our Files
Three real cases pulled from Senzary working sessions:
**Case 1** — A request that came in tagged for DevOps / SRE. The skill loaded was hr-recruiting-manager. The output was wrong on the first pass because the system of record wasn't checked. Eric corrected the workflow. Outcome: the rule "infrastructure as code or it didn't happen" became standard.
**Case 2** — A multi-step task that crossed track boundaries. DevOps / SRE handed off to engineering at the right moment. The handoff worked because both sides knew which skill owned the next step.
**Case 3** — A scenario where the wrong skill got loaded. The agent guessed at the answer instead of loading the right skill. Eric flagged it. The lesson: when in doubt, list available skills, pick the one whose triggers match, and load it explicitly.
How Eric talks about this
“infrastructure as code or it didn't happen”
Real case: an agent claimed a record was updated without the URL. Eric called it out. Infrastructure as code or it didn't happen became the standard. From that point, no update is real without the artifact.
“which skill owns this”
Real case: a task got handled by the wrong skill and the answer was generic. Eric's rule: when in doubt, ask which skill owns it. The skill index in the system prompt has the trigger phrases.
“hand it off cleanly”
Real case: an item bounced between tracks because neither side knew who owned what. The fix: every handoff includes the artifact, the context, the next action, and the date. No verbal handoffs.
Try these exact phrasings
Try it yourself
Pick one of the three cases in this chapter. In ≤400 words: explain what skill the case used, what the original mistake was, what the corrected workflow looks like now, and one place you've seen the same pattern in your own work.
- correctly names the skill used in the case
- correctly summarizes the original mistake
- identifies the rule the correction established
Quick check
1. What rule does 'infrastructure as code or it didn't happen' enforce in real cases?
- a. Style preference
- b. No claim without proof (URL, record, file path)
- c. Use formal language
- d. Keep messages short
Reveal answer
Infrastructure as code or it didn't happen is the proof rule. Every status update must include the artifact that verifies it.
2. When the wrong skill loads, the typical symptom is:
- a. Faster response
- b. Generic, structurally incorrect output
- c. Errors in the terminal
- d. The site goes down
Reveal answer
Wrong skill → generic answer that's missing the structural pieces (record IDs, attribute trees, etc.) the right skill would have brought in.
3. What makes a handoff between tracks complete?
- a. A verbal note in standup
- b. Artifact + context + next action + date — written down
- c. An @mention in Slack
- d. Tagging the team lead
Reveal answer
Real-case rule: handoffs are written, include the artifact, the context, the next action, and the date. No verbal-only handoffs.
Built 2026-07-31 · 3 teaching moments · 3 prompts