Module 1 · Foundations · Lesson 2 of 13 · 8 minutes
Create or improve a search
You can write a search precise enough to hang an alert on, and repair a noisy one you inherited instead of abandoning it.
The BMS scenario
Your search returns 400 bills, or five. Either way you stop trusting it, and the sheet built on it goes stale.
When to use it
When results are noisy, when an issue's language shifts mid-session, or when you inherit someone else's search.
Why it matters
A search that's too broad trains people to ignore its alert; one that's too narrow lets a real bill slip through silently. Both failures look identical from the outside — a missed bill — so the fix has to happen at the search, not after the fact.
Before you start
- An existing search that is either too noisy or too quiet — repairing beats starting over.
- One bill you know should be in the results, to test against.
Field guide
- Query builder / keyword field
- Widen one term at a time, checking your test bill after each change — widening two terms at once hides which one broke it.
- Exclusion terms
- Add exclusions only for words you've actually seen cause false positives; excluding pre-emptively often removes bills you'll want later.
- Search description or notes field (if available)
- Write the one-sentence purpose here so the next owner doesn't have to reverse-engineer the query.
If your situation is different
- If you inherited a search from someone who's left the team, treat step zero as mandatory — don't assume the query still matches its own name.
- If the search needs to cover a multi-state region that changes membership mid-session, keep the keyword query stable and adjust only the region selector, so you're not re-tuning language every time states are added.
- If the bill you're testing against is a budget or appropriations bill, expect it to carry broad, generic language — test with a second, more specific bill too, since budget bills often need a narrower exclusion set.
Step by step
Steps describe the general Quorum workflow. What your seat shows depends on the BMS subscription — check with your Quorum admin if a control isn't there.
- 1
Start from the bills you know you want
Open two or three bills that should obviously match and lift the recurring phrases out of their text. Build the query from real language, not from what you'd call the issue.
Do this in Quorum
- 1.1Open the saved search and read its current query out loud — most bad searches are bad because nobody has.
- 1.2Note whether it mixes two issues; if it does, plan to split it rather than tune it.
- 1.3Check the region and session filters before touching the keywords.
You know it worked when: You can state in one sentence what this search is supposed to return.
- 2
Add scope: region, session, status
Scope filters cut noise without hiding relevant bills, so apply them before you add more keywords.
Do this in Quorum
- 2.1Start from the narrowest phrase that would still catch your test bill.
- 2.2Run it, note the count, then widen one term at a time.
- 2.3After each change, check whether the test bill is still in the results.
You know it worked when: Your test bill is in the results at every widening step.
- 3
Exclude the false positives by name
If insurance-code or workers-comp bills keep appearing, exclude those terms explicitly rather than tightening the main keyword until real bills disappear.
Do this in Quorum
- 3.1Add exclusions for the recurring false positives you identified.
- 3.2Re-run and confirm the count fell without losing the test bill.
- 3.3Stop tuning once page one is clean — perfection past that point costs more than it returns.
You know it worked when: Page one contains no result you would have to explain away.
- 4
Name it so someone else can use it
Issue — region — owner. 'PBM reform — Midwest (State GA)' beats 'Search 4', especially when you're out and a colleague needs it.
Do this in Quorum
- 4.1Rename the search to the team pattern: Issue — Region (owner).
- 4.2Save it, then attach the alert from the saved search rather than building a separate one.
- 4.3Tell the colleague who inherits your states that the search exists.
You know it worked when: The alert points at this saved search, not a duplicate query.
- 5
Re-check after two weeks
Language evolves during session. A quick recheck catches the amendment wording that your original query misses.
Common mistakes
Widening several keyword terms in the same pass.
Fix: Change one term, re-run, check the test bill, then move to the next term.
Tuning past the point of diminishing returns.
Fix: Stop once page one is clean; chasing a perfect result list burns time better spent on the next search.
Building a second alert instead of attaching to the fixed saved search.
Fix: Always attach the alert to the search you just repaired so there's one source of truth.
Fixing the search but not telling anyone who relies on it.
Fix: Message the colleague or channel that uses this search once it's repaired and renamed.
Prompts to run in Quincy, inside Quorum
Quincy is the agentic layer in Quorum — it works on your live data. Copy a prompt into Quincy after you log in. If you want the steps explained first, ask the site guide.
- "Look at these ten results and tell me what they have in common that isn't my issue."
- "Suggest exclusion terms based on this list of false-positive bill titles."
Practice it now
- 1) Take the noisiest search you own and cut its result count by half without losing your test bill.
- 2) Write the one-sentence purpose into the search name or description.
Done looks like this
- One issue per search, correctly scoped and named.
- Every alert traces back to a saved search someone owns.
When to stop and ask
If tuning keeps losing your test bill no matter how you phrase the query, or the query builder doesn't support the exclusion logic you need, check with a Quorum admin or the BMS account team (Michael Fuentes, michael.fuentes@quorum.us) before assuming the platform can't do it.