# Professional email triage worksheet

Initial IA template, 24 September 2026.
Method: https://initial-ia.com/en/ressources/trier-mails-professionnels-ia

## 1. Define your team's criteria

Reference date / time / time zone:
Team addresses and shared inboxes in scope:
Scope of messages authorised for the test:
Person who checks the suggestions:

| Field | Starting values to adapt |
|---|---|
| Category | Quotes, invoicing, customer follow-up, information, to be confirmed |
| Status | To do, to schedule, awaiting a third party, complete, to check |
| P1 | An action related to a blocker or a near-term deadline |
| P2 | Another action or follow-up to organise |
| P3 | Information requiring no action |
| Priority to be confirmed | Insufficient context to decide |

Definition of “near-term” for our business:
What counts as a blocker in our business:
Who decides when several messages are P1:

An email containing “urgent” is not automatically P1.
A read email may still need action.
An answered email may be waiting for confirmation.
The Invoicing category approves neither the document nor its payment.

## 2. Record one row per thread

| Thread | Category | Status | Priority | Passage supporting the choice | Next action | Known owner | Known deadline | Follow-up date chosen by the team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | | | | |

Use “not assigned” for a missing owner and “not provided” for a missing deadline. Separate the sender's desired date from any confirmed commitment.
For incomplete threads or replies possibly sent from another inbox: status to check.

## 3. Define the first rules

| Stable criterion | Suggested action | Exception to check | Undo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Known newsletter address | Information label | Other operational messages from the same address | Remove the label and correct the filter |
| Dedicated invoicing recipient | Invoicing label | Email without an invoice, quote or information request | Remove the label and review the criteria |

Keep messages visible during the first test. No automatic sending, forwarding or deletion is needed to test classification.

## 4. Verification log

Tool / version / settings / test date:
Messages used to prepare the method:
Messages held back for testing:
Rules, prompt and documents actually supplied:

| Thread | Suggested classification | Classification after review | Important request missed? | False urgency? | Incorrect status? | Checking and correction time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | | |

Comparable manual processing time:
Total time with assistance, including checking and corrections:
Success criteria set before testing:
Decision: keep suggestions / expand some cases / revise the method.

A small exercise does not validate every future message. Keep a review queue for uncertain cases.