Prompt Design Principles

# Prompt Design Principles

This document defines the core principles used to design prompts for the `pm-ai-playbook` repository.

The objective is to ensure prompts remain **clear, reliable, reusable, practical, maintainable, and safe to publish**.

This repository is not only a prompt collection. It is a public AI-assisted Product Management playbook. Prompts should therefore teach reusable Product Management patterns without exposing private product context, internal operating models, confidential examples, or company-specific conventions.

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## 1. Clarity over complexity

Prompts should prioritize clarity.

Instructions must be:

- direct
- unambiguous
- easy to follow

Avoid overly long instructions or unnecessary context that does not contribute to the task.

A clear prompt usually produces better results than a complex one.

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## 2. Define the Product Management purpose

Every prompt should clearly explain the Product Management activity it supports.

A prompt should answer:

- What problem does it solve?
- What artifact or output does it help produce?
- What Product Management workflow does it support?
- Why is the prompt useful?

Avoid prompts that are too generic to be actionable.

A good prompt should help a Product Manager perform a specific task more consistently.

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## 3. Explain when to use the prompt

Every prompt should include a clear `When to Use` section.

This section should explain:

- the practical situation where the prompt should be used
- the type of task the prompt supports
- the expected input condition
- whether the prompt is general or advanced
- limitations or situations where the prompt should not be used

The goal is to help users decide whether the prompt fits their situation before running it.

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## 4. Define the role when useful

When appropriate, the prompt should define the role the model must assume.

Example: