The Project

Why this matters

Claude Projects are persistent AI environments. Unlike a conversation that starts fresh each time, a Project remembers your instructions, your style, your context — and applies it to every conversation within that project. This is the first step toward the CLAUDE.md concept in Module 5: the idea that you can write instructions once and have AI follow them consistently. For professional use, Projects are transformative: one project per client, per role, per domain.

How to do it

1. 1

   Open Claude.ai and navigate to Projects → New Project

   Choose a real use case: a client you work with, a domain you research, a role you perform. Name it clearly.

2. 2

   Write the Project instructions using the template below

   Project instructions are persistent — they apply to every conversation in this project. Think of them as your standing orders to Claude for this context.

3. 3

   Upload relevant documents to the Project knowledge base

   Add 1–3 documents that are frequently referenced in this context: a style guide, a product description, a process document, a team overview.

4. 4

   Start a conversation and test whether the instructions are followed

   Ask Claude something that requires applying the instructions. Check: did it use the right tone? Did it remember the context? Did it apply the constraints?

The prompt

You are my AI assistant for [PROJECT NAME — e.g. "Client Work for Acme Corp", "Research on Education Policy", "Content Creation for my Newsletter"].

Context: [2-3 sentences about this project — what it is, what you're trying to accomplish, who is involved]

My role: [Your title or role in this context]

Audience: [Who the outputs in this project are for]

Tone: [Describe the tone you want — e.g. "professional but approachable", "technical and precise", "conversational and friendly"]

Always remember:
- [Key fact 1 about this project that Claude should always keep in mind]
- [Key fact 2]
- [Key constraint or rule — e.g. "never recommend competitors", "always cite sources", "keep outputs under 300 words"]

When I ask for help with tasks in this project, apply this context automatically without me needing to re-explain it each time.

Success criteria

• ✓You created a Project for a real, recurring use case
• ✓The Project instructions are specific enough to change Claude's default behavior
• ✓You uploaded at least one relevant document to the knowledge base
• ✓You confirmed the instructions are followed in a test conversation

Common mistakes