Early Model Testing Playbook

Instructions

Use this skill to plan and run a focused early-access evaluation of a new Claude model (or any LLM) during a short pre-release window.

1. Prepare the evaluation window

   • Clear calendars and set up a dedicated coordination channel (e.g., Slack).
   • Create a shared space for notes, observations, and test artifacts.
   • Avoid sharing early impressions too soon if you want to reduce team bias.

2. Start with the hardest workloads

   • Prioritize the real production-like tasks that matter most to your team.
   • Run both automated evals/benchmarks and hands-on stress tests.

3. Collect two kinds of signals

   • Quantitative: benchmark/eval scores.
   • Qualitative: how the model feels in real workflows (e.g., whether it behaves like a collaborator, how far it can go before stalling).

4. Mix testing modes (examples from the post)

   • Automated eval platform + hands-on stress testing.
   • Benchmarks + domain expert qualitative review (e.g., lawyers for legal tasks).
   • Iterative planning loops in existing engineering workflows.
   • Benchmarks + “vibe checks” (engineers building apps with the model).

5. Document discoveries (strengths and rough edges)

   • Capture what improved, what broke, and what patterns you’d want the model provider to iterate on.

Examples

Example: Minimal early access checklist

• Set up: channel + shared doc + owner.
• Run: top 5 hardest tasks + one benchmark suite.
• Record: failures, surprising wins, and clear go/no-go criteria.

Notes

• This skill is derived from qualitative descriptions in the Claude blog post and does not include code or configuration snippets.
• Source: see source.json at the artifact root.