Choose The File For The Job
A decision brief is a readable Markdown snapshot of saved candidates and their local evaluation state. It can help you resume a discussion later, but it is not an approval, a ranking or evidence that a service is reliable.
A JSON backup serves a different purpose: restoring your saved list, notes, dates and progress. It contains private evaluation data. Do not send a restore backup when you only intended to discuss a shortlist.
Start Without Private Notes
In your shortlist, open Export, backup and restore and download a brief. Private test notes are excluded unless you explicitly select Include private test notes in the brief. That choice clears after a successful download request and when the page is reopened or restored. It does not affect what the JSON backup contains.
Excluding notes does not make the file anonymous or automatically safe to share. It still includes saved tool choices, decision stages, checked items and local test dates, together with public review information. All saved candidates is the default scope. Choose Current view only to include only candidates matching your stage and test-date filters. Check the candidate count before downloading; an empty view cannot produce a brief. The JSON backup still includes the full saved list, regardless of the brief scope. Open the file and remove anything the recipient does not need.
Separate Observation From Approval
Consider this fictional evaluation reminder:
Ready to decide. Two of four checks complete. One invented request sample was tested. The draft preserved the missing deadline; permissions and current plan details still need review.
A misleading handoff would be:
This tool is approved for our team’s work.
The reminder supports no such conclusion. A more bounded handoff is:
This candidate passed one small sample check. No decision has been made about real work. Please review permissions and plan fit before we decide whether to continue the trial.
These are editorial examples, not observations of a named product. Use your actual evidence and keep uncertainty explicit. A stage such as Ready to decide describes your workflow, not a vendor certification or workplace authorization.
Check The File Before Sending
- Confirm the intended candidates are the only ones you want to discuss.
- Review stages, test dates and completed checks for outdated assumptions.
- Remove internal project names, account details and sensitive context.
- Include a private note only when it is appropriate for that recipient.
- State the unresolved question and who should answer it; do not invent approval.
Keep complete test evidence in an approved location. A short browser note and its exported copy are not an audit history. Do not treat a checked privacy item or a brief without notes as a privacy or security guarantee.
Return To The Decision, Not Just The File
The downloaded file does not stay synchronized with your shortlist. Before using it again, compare it with your current notes and any relevant official announcements. Downloading does not mark announcements read, change your test date, or complete checks.
Use the pilot-result review to keep conclusions within the evidence. If another test is needed, follow the safe restart guide before clearing previous checks.