Stage 3 of 10 · 7 lessons · ~2 weeks
Prompting for code: small tasks, clear specs
Turn work into small, checkable tasks with a written spec and a definition of done, plan before multi-file changes, reuse prompts that work and start each task with a clean context.
Start: Small, checkable tasksLessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order
Do this
- Write a task spec with a definition of done for your next real task.
- Split one feature into at least four small, checkable steps.
- Use plan mode on a change that touches several files, and correct the plan before building.
- Write your four templates: explain, bug, feature, refactor.
- Save one prompt that has worked several times as a reusable prompt.
- Start a fresh conversation for each unrelated task for a week and notice the difference.
Start with· follow one of these
- CoursePaidGrokking Prompt Engineering for Software Engineers
Design Gurus · Beginner · Subscription
A structured course on prompting for engineering work: specs, context, examples and iteration
- GuideFreeAnthropic Prompt Engineering Documentation
Anthropic
Free and model-agnostic in spirit: be clear and direct, give examples, let the model think
Keep handy
Also worth your time
When to plan, how to edit a plan, and starting over from the plan instead of patching
Before moving on: Four prompt templates of your own (explain, bug, feature, refactor), one saved as a reusable prompt in your tool, and one multi-file change delivered from a written spec and an approved plan in small, reviewed steps.
Most bad AI output is a bad prompt in disguise: too big, too vague, no check. Spend two minutes on a spec and you will save twenty minutes of correcting. And when a conversation starts going round in circles, stop, clear it, and write the prompt you wish you had written first.