Quick Reference

One-page reference for all frameworks, patterns, and workflows from the Prompt Engineering Bootcamp

Joey Lopez · Prompt Engineering Bootcamp

Card 1

Three Approaches Decision Matrix

When your task is...	Choose this approach	Example
Simple–Medium complexity	ADRs + Config	`.github/copilot-instructions.md`
Team uses multiple AI tools	ADRs + Config	Reference standards document
Complex, repeated tasks	Structured Files	Priority Builder (325 lines)
Learning prompt engineering	Structured Files	4-file interview workflow
Team committed to one IDE	Tool-Assisted	Windsurf workflows
Want automated guidance	Tool-Assisted	Platform-integrated prompts

Decision Rule

Use the simplest approach that handles your complexity level.

Card 2

Foundational Patterns Checklist

Before writing any prompt, check for all four patterns:

Persona — "You are an expert [role] with [specific expertise]..."
Few-shot — Provide 2–3 example input/output pairs
Template — "Respond in this format: [structure]"
Chain-of-Thought — "Show your reasoning step by step"

Quality check: Does your prompt use all 4 patterns? If not, which one would help most?

Card 3

Advanced Patterns Quick Guide

ReAct Pattern — multi-step tasks

THINK:   Analyze the situation — what is actually needed?
ACT:     Take a specific, concrete action
OBSERVE: Check results — did it work? What changed?
THINK:   Next steps based on what you observed
         (repeat until complete)

Tree of Thoughts — decision points

1. Generate 3 genuinely different approaches
2. Evaluate pros/cons/risks of each
3. Choose best approach with explicit rationale

Spec-Kit Workflow — complex tasks

knowledge-base.md      Domain expertise (reusable across tasks)
specification.md       This task's specific requirements
implementation-plan.md Execution strategy (ReAct + Tree of Thoughts)
execution.md           Generated output materials

Card 4

Pattern Recognition Quick Test

When you see any prompt, identify:

What persona is established?
What examples are provided?
What format is requested?
Is reasoning required?

Good prompt = all 4 patterns visible

If you can't find one of the four, the prompt has a gap. Fill it before you run it.

Card 5

Taking This Forward

This Week

Apply ReAct pattern to one complex work decision
Use Tree of Thoughts for your next strategic choice
Create a spec-kit workflow for a task you do repeatedly

Longer Term

Evaluate new AI tools using the Three Approaches framework
Build team templates using foundational patterns
Scale systematic thinking across your domain

The Core Principle

Patterns beat formats. Choose your approach based on team context and task complexity.

Card 6

Research Backing

White et al. (2023) — Prompt Pattern Catalog · arXiv 2302.11382
Foundational patterns: Persona, Few-shot, Template, Chain-of-Thought
Yao et al. (2022) — ReAct Pattern · arXiv 2210.03629
Think → Act → Observe for complex reasoning
Yao et al. (2023) — Tree of Thoughts · arXiv 2305.10601
Generate → Evaluate → Choose for decision making