How to use Projects in ChatGPT and Claude

What is an AI Project?

OpenAI and Anthropic describe Projects as a way to organise related work with context such as files and instructions. They help you avoid explaining the same background from scratch each time. Their controls and behaviour differ, so follow the official setup guide for the product you use.

Think of a project for weekly operations updates. Its stable background could include the reporting format, team responsibilities and an approved example. This week’s facts belong in the current conversation. Keeping those roles separate makes the project easier to maintain.

Choose one recurring job

A project called “Everything” is difficult to keep accurate. Start with a specific outcome: monthly customer-service reporting, supplier reviews or internal training material. Write down who uses the result and who checks it.

For this exercise, use a fictional service business. The weekly report needs completed jobs, delayed jobs, customer issues and decisions required. The manager should be able to see what changed without reading every source note.

Set up your first Project

The exact controls can change. Open the Projects area in your account and use the product’s current help page if the layout differs. Features, allowances and sharing options depend on the account and workplace settings.

1. Create a project with a descriptive name, such as Weekly operations updates.
2. Add a short purpose statement: who the report is for and what decision it supports.
3. Add only approved, relevant reference files. Use clear names and dates, such as Reporting format, approved 28 September 2026.
4. Write project instructions covering language, structure, missing facts and source references.
5. Start a new conversation with a small fictional weekly update and ask for the report.
6. Compare the answer with the inputs and adjust the instructions where the intended rule was unclear.

Copy these project instructions

These are original example instructions for the fictional reporting task. Adapt the headings to your own process before using them.

This project helps prepare weekly operations updates. Audience: the operations manager. Use Australian English and short sentences. Structure: Decisions needed, Completed, Delayed, Next week. Use reference files for the approved format and definitions. Use the current chat for this week’s facts. Do not carry forward an old date, owner or status as if it is current. Mark missing information as “not recorded”. For important figures or claims, name the source file and section. If sources conflict, show the conflict and ask which is current.

Keep instructions, sources and current facts separate

Instructions explain how to work. Reference files explain the background. The current conversation explains what happened this time. Mixing them makes old information look more authoritative than it is.

Suppose last week’s report said a supplier delivery was due Tuesday. This week’s notes say the delivery is delayed and no new date is confirmed. A good report should surface the change and the missing date. It should not quietly reuse Tuesday.

When you revise a process, record the new approved version and remove or clearly label superseded material in the project. Keep your organisation’s actual record in its normal source system; an AI project should not become the only place an important decision exists.

Test the project before other people rely on it

Run three small checks: omit a deadline, provide two conflicting figures and include an old report with a changed status. The result should identify the gap or conflict rather than supply a confident guess.

Also check information boundaries. Can the people using the project access the files you intend to share? Are any unrelated customer records included? Review sharing controls before inviting others. Instructions such as “keep this private” are not a replacement for actual access settings.

Anthropic’s documentation distinguishes general project access from paid enhancements and staged beta experiences. OpenAI also documents project configuration. Check those sources rather than assuming both accounts will show the same options.

Make the habit easy to repeat

At the end of the week, save the checked report to your usual team location and record unresolved questions. At the start of the next week, supply fresh facts. Review the reference files when the process changes.

For help setting up a practical team workflow in either product, use the workshop enquiry form on the 27 AI homepage.

Common questions

Should every conversation go into a Project?

No. Use a project when the work shares a purpose, reference material or instructions. A one-off question may be simpler in a normal chat.

Will a Project remember every fact perfectly?

Do not assume that. Ask it to identify the source for important claims and check the answer against the current material. Keep authoritative records elsewhere.

Can I use the same instructions in both products?

You can reuse the intent and wording, then test the result in each. Available settings, memory behaviour, sharing and limits may differ.