Prompt Engineering: Zero to Reliable · Module 2 · Getting unstuck
Chaining prompts for big jobs
7 min read · lesson 4 of 5
Big tasks ('plan my product launch') produce big, shallow answers. Split the job into a chain where each prompt feeds the next, and each step stays reviewable.
A reliable 4-step chain
- Step 1 — Research: 'List the 8 decisions I must make to launch a paid newsletter. One line each.'
- Step 2 — Options: 'For each decision, give the two most common choices with one trade-off.'
- Step 3 — Draft: 'Given my answers below [paste], write the one-page launch plan.'
- Step 4 — Critique: 'Review this plan as a skeptical editor. List the three weakest points and how to fix each.'
The critique step is the one almost everyone skips — and the one that most improves quality. Asking the model to attack its own draft surfaces problems you'd otherwise find after shipping.
Keep each step's output short enough to actually read. A chain you skim is a chain you can't steer.
Practice
Turn one of your big, vague prompts into a 3-step chain and run it end to end.