Capstone | Prompt Engineering Essentials

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CAPSTONE | 45 MINUTES COMPLETE / 20 MINUTES FAST TRACK

Build and test a Trust-First prompt workflow

Capstone steps

1. Choose the task. Write what you want to accomplish, who will use the answer, who must make the final decision, and what could go wrong if the answer is incorrect.
2. Run your first prompt. Open your AI assistant, enter your original prompt, send it, and save the answer.
3. Write an improved prompt. Make the task, needed facts, and output clear. Add the audience, limits, purpose, and checking instructions that your task needs. Tell the AI what to do when information is missing.
4. Run the improved prompt. Compare the new answer with the first answer. Write one improvement and one remaining problem.
5. Check one important fact, number, source, promise, or missing detail using an authoritative source, reliable calculation, or qualified person.
6. Improve the prompt once more. Change only the instruction needed to fix one problem you actually observed, then run it again.
7. Decide what to do. Choose: Use it / Improve it again / Ask a qualified person / Do not use it. Explain your choice.

Completed example

Task: Turn planning notes into a one-page Community Skills Night plan that helps the organizer identify what must be confirmed before invitations are drafted.

SOURCE NOTES

WEAK PROMPT

PROMPT v2

Independent verification: The organizer contacts the venue through an official channel to confirm capacity and accessibility, and records the response before outreach.

Targeted revision after testing: The first output listed Maya as the event speaker. Add: 'Maya offered only to contact possible speakers; do not identify her as a speaker.'

Decision: Keep the revised plan as an internal draft. Do not create or send invitations until venue, date, accessibility, consent, and recipient authority are confirmed.

Capstone rubric

Criterion	0 - Missing	1 - Partial	2 - Strong
Purpose and owner	No real outcome or owner	Outcome or owner is vague	Outcome, audience, decision, owner, and consequence are clear
Prompt design	Task is vague	Some useful elements	Task, context, output, audience, boundaries, purpose, and quality fit the risk
Evidence	No source rule	Sources named but gaps unclear	Evidence boundary, missing-information behavior, and source traceability are explicit
Privacy and safety	Sensitive/action risks ignored	Some caution but incomplete	Data minimized; high-stakes and action controls are appropriate
Verification	No check	Self-check only	At least one material item is checked independently with a suitable method
Iteration and decision	No revision or human decision	Revision is broad or decision unclear	One diagnosed failure drives a targeted revision and responsible decision

Your capstone record

Task and person who must make the final decision:

One problem in my first AI answer:

Prompt v2:

The important fact I checked and how I checked it:

The one prompt instruction I changed:

What I decided to do with the answer, and why:

What improved from baseline:

What the AI answer still could not prove or decide:

Finish this capstone

Mark this capstone complete when you have attempted every activity you intend to complete and reviewed your work against the v0.5 guidance.