AI Bootcamp — Resource 03
DOPE CEOs · AI Bootcamp
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Resource 03 · The Decision Card · Pin it

Chat vs Skill vs Project.

The most common cohort confusion after Sessions 3 and 4. One table kills it. Print it. When you don't know where a task belongs, this is the answer.

Match the situation to the tool
The situationUseWhy
"Draft this one IG caption right now"ChatOne-off. No standing context needed.
"I draft IG captions every week in my voice"SkillRepeated MOVE. Same job, new input each time.
"I'm onboarding a client for 6 months"ProjectStanding WORKSPACE. Same context, many tasks.
"Quarterly launch — same emails, pages, content"Project + skills inside itWorkspace for the launch + skills for the moves.
"I want my voice everywhere"Skill (global)Skills are account-level. Fire in chats, projects, Cowork.
Chat = this conversation. Skill = this move, repeated. Project = this workspace, persistent. A project with skills inside it is the operator stack.
A project earns its keep when ANY is true
01

A relationship — a client, cohort, or team you serve for months.

02

A season — a launch, event, or quarter with its own assets.

03

A body of knowledge — your offers, SOPs, content archive, searchable.

04

A deliverable system — everything that produces ONE recurring output.

05

A second brain — transcripts, research, swipe files you SEARCH, not re-read.

If none of those five is true, you don't need a project. You need a chat. Don't build a filing cabinet for a sticky note.
Two rooms · claude.ai vs Cowork

Project in claude.ai

A workspace in the chat app. Context = files + instructions. Best for thinking, drafting, deciding, searching your knowledge. This is the room you build in this week.

Project in Cowork (S05)

The same workspace with HANDS. Context = uploads + a scoped folder + connectors. Best for multi-step execution. Same feeding rule — bigger blast radius.