Lesson 1
CLEAR Prompt Design
Outcome
Use clear prompt design in a real work task and leave evidence another person can verify.
Core idea
Reliable AI work defines the purpose, context, constraints, output, evidence and human approval before the result is used. This lesson applies that rule to clear prompt design.
Practice mission
Choose one real task. Create a reusable instruction for clear prompt design, identify missing information, state a stopping condition and define how a person will review the result.
Worked example
Fictional task: a team needs a weekly update. Ask: ‘Prepare three bullets for the operations lead: completed work, one blocker and the next action. Use only the supplied notes, stay under 120 words and mark missing dates as unknown.’ The result is a constrained work instruction, not an invented report.
Why this fails
‘Write a great update’ does not identify the reader, evidence, length or decision. Adding a job title alone does not fix those omissions.
Check your result
Can a colleague identify the purpose, audience, input limits and output format without asking you?
Model structure
Purpose: improve a real work result. Context: name the audience and available material. Task: apply clear prompt design. Constraints: do not invent facts or expose personal data. Output: a usable draft, evidence list, uncertainty note and next action. Approval: a named role checks it before use.