0.3 Understanding Your Workspace¶

File Organization for AI Work¶

Project Folder Structure¶

ai-projects/
├── data/             # Raw and processed data files
│   ├── csv/
│   ├── json/
│   └── xlsx/
├── prompts/          # Saved prompt templates
│   ├── analysis/
│   ├── writing/
│   └── research/
├── agents/           # Agent configurations
│   ├── skills/
│   └── workflows/
└── outputs/          # Generated documents and results

Naming Conventions AI Systems Understand¶

Naming Best Practices

Use lowercase
Separate words with hyphens
Include date or version
Be descriptive but concise

Examples: - quarterly-sales-analysis-2024-q1.csv - customer-communication-template-v2.md - research-summary-climate-tech.txt

Document Types in AI Workflows¶

Markdown (.md)¶

Why Markdown is Critical for This Course

Markdown is the universal language for AI work, and you'll use it throughout this entire course.

Every module uses Markdown: From writing prompts in Module 1 to creating Claude Skills in Module 3, Markdown is your primary tool
AI systems excel at Markdown: LLMs understand and generate Markdown naturally—it's how they communicate best
Universal compatibility: Markdown works everywhere—GitHub, documentation sites, AI tools, and more
Future-proof your work: Skills, prompts, and documentation in Markdown will work with any AI system you use

Master Markdown now. If you're not comfortable with it yet, this is the time to learn. You'll use it in every exercise and project from here on out.

Universal AI language
Supports rich formatting
Easy to read and process
Used for documentation, prompts, and agent instructions

Example Markdown

# Project Research Report

## Executive Summary

### Key Findings
- **Trend 1**: Emerging AI technologies
- **Trend 2**: Automation capabilities

### Recommendations
1. Invest in agent-based workflows
2. Develop in-house AI skills

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)¶

Perfect for tables
Easily manipulated by AI
Lightweight and universal

Sample CSV

name,role,department,productivity_score <--- Heading Row
jane_doe,analyst,research,8.5 <--- Like Excel Rows
john_smith,manager,operations,7.2 <--- Like Excel Rows

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)¶

Structured data format
Native to most programming languages
Great for configuration and data exchange

JSON Example

{
    "project": "AI Workflow Automation",
    "team_members": [
        {"name": "Alice", "role": "Lead Researcher"},
        {"name": "Bob", "role": "AI Engineer"}
    ],
    "status": "In Progress"
}

YAML (Yet Another Markup Language)¶

Human-readable configuration
Used for agent instructions and workflows
Supports complex nested structures

YAML Agent Configuration

agent:
  name: research_assistant
  goals:
    - Collect relevant research papers
    - Summarize key findings
  tools:
    - academic_search_mcp
    - document_analysis_skill

Checkpoint Exercise: Workspace Setup¶

Create the project folder structure in your home directory
Create sample files in each document type
Practice renaming files following the guidelines
Take a screenshot of your organized workspace

Reflection Questions¶

How might these document types help in AI workflows?
What recurring tasks in your work could benefit from this organization?