> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usepeppr.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Writing good playbooks

> What makes a playbook reps run and managers can coach against.

A playbook works when it is short enough to run live and specific enough to coach against. Four rules get you there.

## Keep it to four to six stages

Mirror how a good call actually flows: Discovery, Demo, Next Steps. Reps internalize a tight framework and glance at it mid-call; an exhaustive one becomes a checklist nobody reads. If a stage never changes how a rep behaves, cut it.

## Write items as actions

An item names something the rep does, not a topic to remember. "Confirm the economic buyer" beats "Budget." "Agree a concrete next step" beats "Closing."

## Make criteria observable

Criteria work when they describe something you could point to in the transcript.

| Item               | Weak                    | Strong                                     |
| ------------------ | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Agree a next step  | "Talk about next steps" | "A specific date and time is set"          |
| Confirm the buyer  | "Discuss stakeholders"  | "The person who signs off is named"        |
| Establish the pain | "Ask about challenges"  | "A concrete cost of the problem is stated" |

Strong criteria describe a fact that is either present in the conversation or not, which is what keeps the live tracking and the [adherence numbers](/playbooks/adherence) honest.

## One playbook per motion

A discovery playbook and a demo playbook track better than one that tries to cover both. Start from a built-in framework and adapt it to how your team sells, or let the [AI editor](/playbooks/ai-editor) do the adapting.