Practical guide
Follow the process step by step
Apply each stage in sequence. Document important assumptions, verify AI-generated information, and keep human approval at critical decision points.
- 1
Identify a successful prompt
Begin with an instruction that already produces useful results for a recurring task.
- 2
Separate fixed and variable information
Keep stable instructions unchanged and replace task-specific details with clearly named placeholders.
- 3
Standardize required inputs
List the information users must provide before the prompt can produce a reliable result.
- 4
Add output requirements
Define the expected structure, tone, level of detail, evidence rules, and review criteria.
- 5
Test different scenarios
Use realistic examples to confirm that the template remains useful across different projects, users, and input quality levels.
- 6
Maintain version control
Record improvements, retire unreliable versions, and explain when each template should or should not be used.