AIPTDEst. 1995
Workshop · ChatGPT Series

Building Reliable Custom GPTs & Repeatable Workflows

Turn a recurring task into a reliable custom GPT: define its scope, ground it in trusted files, test it systematically, and maintain it over time.


Creating a basic custom GPT may take only a few minutes. Creating one that remains useful, accurate, and trusted over time requires a more deliberate approach.

The most important decisions happen before and after the initial build: determining whether the task should become a GPT, defining a scope narrow enough to remain reliable, selecting trusted knowledge files, writing durable instructions, and testing how the GPT responds to the questions, ambiguities, and mistakes real users are likely to introduce. Once others begin relying on it, the GPT must also be reviewed and updated as its purpose, instructions, and source material change.

This workshop takes participants through that full process. They will turn one recurring, clearly defined task into a working no-code custom GPT, define its instructions and boundaries, ground it in a focused set of trusted files, test its behavior, and create a practical plan for sharing and maintaining it.

No development experience is required. Participants will need a paid ChatGPT plan and permission to create and share custom GPTs through their account or managed workspace. Bring one recurring, narrowly scoped task and a small, stable set of source documents that support it.

This is the final workshop in the ChatGPT series. It follows Using ChatGPT and Everyday Work with ChatGPT.


Participants will learn to:

  • Determine whether a recurring task is well suited to a custom GPT
  • Define a clear purpose, audience, scope, and expected result for the GPT
  • Write durable instructions that guide the GPT across varied, incomplete, and out-of-scope questions
  • Ground the GPT in a focused set of trusted knowledge files and identify conflicting or outdated material
  • Test the GPT with realistic and deliberately difficult questions before sharing it
  • Share the GPT with a small group, gather feedback, and maintain it as needs and source material change

Topic Outline

One Session In Three Parts

Three hours · hands-on throughout

Part 01Decide

Choose and Define the Right Task

  • Identify tasks that are repeated, useful to others, and supported by stable source material
  • Distinguish between a reusable prompt, a Project, and a custom GPT
  • Choose a specific audience, purpose, and expected result
  • Define a scope narrow enough for the GPT to remain focused and reliable
  • Decide what the GPT should handle and what should remain outside its role
  • Write a one-sentence purpose statement and define what a successful response should include
Part 02Build

Build and Ground Your GPT

  • Write durable instructions that define the GPT's role, process, tone, and boundaries
  • Tell the GPT how to handle uncertain, unsupported, ambiguous, and out-of-scope requests
  • Choose a focused set of trusted knowledge files and remove conflicting, outdated, or unnecessary material
  • Keep behavioral instructions separate from the source material the GPT uses as knowledge
  • Select only the capabilities the task actually requires
  • Create a clear name, description, and conversation starters that help users understand how to begin
Part 03Release

Test, Share, and Maintain

  • Create a realistic test set based on the questions intended users are likely to ask
  • Test incomplete, ambiguous, out-of-scope, and deliberately difficult requests
  • Check responses for accuracy, consistency, appropriate boundaries, and support from the GPT's knowledge files
  • Review sharing levels, user permissions, and workspace controls before making the GPT available to others
  • Share the GPT with a small group, gather feedback, and refine it before wider use
  • Create a practical plan for ownership, documentation, updates, version review, and retirement

Upcoming Sessions

01Live online

February 22, 2027

Schedule
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM PST
Tuition
US$295
Instructors
Josh Alpert
02Live online

April 6, 2027

Schedule
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM PST
Tuition
US$295
Instructors
Josh Alpert

Programs can be customized for your organization. Delivered on-site, in-person, live-online, or asynchronously as a course library.
Inquire About Custom Solutions

Going Further

This Course Counts Toward A Certification

Interested in going further? This course is one of the catalog courses that make up the AIPTD ChatGPT Practitioner Certification. Complete the full path and pass the certificate exam to earn the credential.