01
Prompt Engineering
How you ask
How you word your request. Ask clearly, say what format you want, show an example to copy, and you get a better answer back.
Like briefing a sharp new hire. Same person, very different results depending on how clearly you ask.
Before“Write about our product.”
After“In three sentences, tell a busy plant manager how this saves them time. No jargon.”
Without it:Vague asks and answers shaped nothing like what you pictured.
02
Context Engineering
What you give it
What you hand over with your question. Give it the facts, files, and examples it needs, because it can only use what it can actually see.
Like the difference between asking someone cold and handing them the file first. A perfect question with no facts still gets a confident wrong answer.
Before“Is this invoice overdue?”
After“Here’s the invoice, today’s date, and our net-30 terms. Is it overdue?”
Without it:It fills the gaps by making things up. The question was fine, the facts were missing.
03
Harness Engineering
What it can do
Hooking it up to real tools so it can do things instead of just talking about them. Look something up, send an email, run a report. This is what turns a chatbot into an assistant that acts.
Like giving that new hire a desk, a computer, and the keys to actually run the reports.
BeforeExplains how you’d check the weather.
AfterChecks a live weather tool and tells you today’s real forecast.
Without it:Great advice, but it can’t lift a finger. All talk, no action.
04
Loop Engineering
Keeps going on its own
Letting it run over and over on its own, on a schedule or until the job is done, while it stays on track, fixes its own mistakes, and remembers what happened last time.
Like the difference between someone who nails one task and a teammate who owns the whole job, week after week.
BeforeDoes the job once, then stops. If it trips, it’s stuck.
AfterRuns every night, catches its own mistakes, and only asks for help when it truly needs it.
Without it:Great demos that never turn into something you can rely on.
How they stack
Each layer only works if the one inside it does. A loop is pointless if the tools don’t work. The tools are pointless if you asked the wrong thing or hid the facts it needed. So start in the middle and build your way out.
PROMPT · CONTEXT · HARNESS · LOOP