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Updated 14 days ago

Green: Quick Build Guide#

You are building something quick — an internal tool, a prototype, or a throwaway. This guide walks you through it step by step.

Time estimate: Most people finish a Green build in 1-4 hours depending on complexity. The framework part takes about 15 minutes.

What you will need: Access to an AI coding tool (see Step 2) and a clear idea of what you want to build.

Step 1: Define what you are building (5 min)#

Fill out the Project Brief. This is a short form that captures what you are building, why, and what "done" looks like.

Example completed brief:

Project name: Employer Engagement Tracker

What are you building? A simple internal page showing which employer partners have upcoming virtual work experience programmes, their status (confirmed, pending, completed), and the key contact for each.

What problem does it solve? The partnerships team currently tracks employer programmes across multiple spreadsheets and Slack threads. This page gives everyone a single view of what is coming up.

What does "done" look like?

  1. Shows all employer partners with programme name, date, status, and key contact
  2. Filterable by status (confirmed, pending, completed)
  3. Works on mobile

Tools: Lovable (fast for simple pages, no backend needed)

Accelerator#

Before you start building, check with your team at Springpod — someone may have already built something similar. A 2-minute Slack message could save you hours of work.

Step 2: Pick your tool#

For a Quick Build, almost any AI tool works. Pick what you are most comfortable with.

Never used an AI coding tool before? Check the Tool Selection Guide for an overview, then pick one from Springpod's Approved Tools list.

Quick rule of thumb for Green builds:

  • Want it done in minutes with no code? → No-Code tools (Lovable, Bolt, v0)
  • Want to see and tweak the code? → Low-Code tools (Replit Agent)
  • Already comfortable coding? → Pro Tools (Cursor, Claude Code)

Any of these will work for a Green build. Do not overthink it.

Step 3: Build it#

Open your AI tool and describe what you want. The more specific your prompt, the better the result.

Accelerator#

Start from the Prompt Library. These prompts have been tested and produce better results than starting from scratch.

Example prompt for an employer engagement tracker:

Create an employer engagement tracker page that shows employer partners in a card layout.
Each card shows: employer name, programme name, date, status (confirmed/pending/completed), and key contact name.
Include a filter bar at the top that filters by status.
Make it responsive so it works on mobile.
Use these colors: primary #0BB3B7, background #FFFFFF, text #333333.
Do not use any external libraries. Keep it simple.

Tips for good prompts:

  • Tell the AI what the tool does, not how to code it
  • Include specific details: colors, layout, data fields
  • Say what NOT to do: "Do not add features I did not ask for"
  • See the Prompt Management Standard for more guidance

Step 4: Test it#

Try using your tool the way a real person would. Do not just check that it opens — actually use it.

Test these things:

  1. Happy path — Does the main feature work? (e.g., can you filter by status and see the right employer partners?)
  2. Empty state — What happens if there is no data? (e.g., filter for a status with no results)
  3. Bad input — What happens if someone types something unexpected? (e.g., very long text, special characters)
  4. Different devices — Does it work on your phone? (Open the URL on your phone or use your browser's device preview)

If something breaks: Tell the AI tool what went wrong and ask it to fix it. Be specific about what happened versus what you expected.

Step 5: Secure it#

Before sharing your tool, do a quick security check.

  1. Search your code for any of these: sk-, api_key, secret, password, token, DATABASE_URL
  2. Search for any long random string that looks like a key or password
  3. If you find anything, move it to your tool's environment variables (usually in Settings or Secrets)

Not sure how to move secrets to environment variables? See When to Escalate — this is a normal question, not a failure.

Step 6: Ship it#

Make your tool accessible to your team.

  1. Share the link — most AI tools give you a URL. Share it with your team via Slack, email, or wherever your team communicates.
  2. Note the kill switch — know how to turn it off if something goes wrong. For most tools, this means setting the deployment to "private" or deleting it.
  3. Tell people it exists — the best tool is useless if nobody knows about it.

Done#

You just completed your first SpringBoard build. Here is what you did:

  1. Defined what you were building (Project Brief)
  2. Picked a tool
  3. Built it with a clear prompt
  4. Tested it with realistic inputs
  5. Checked for exposed secrets
  6. Shipped it with a kill switch

The checklist version of everything you just did is the Green Checklist. Next time, you might prefer that shorter format.

What if things change?#

Your tool starts as Green, but things change. If your tool starts handling business data, serving external users, or becoming critical to operations, re-run the Project Intake. You may need to follow a different build path.

This is not a problem — it means your tool is growing. The framework is designed to scale with you.

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