Patterns Are Starting Points, Not Magic Scripts
Unit ID: PAW-M09-U00 Estimated active time: 15-20 minutes
What a pattern is
A pattern is a reusable shape for a family of tasks: which parts a prompt needs, in what order, with which review step.
It is not a phrase to copy. Copied phrases are the "magic prompt" idea this course opened by rejecting.
Why patterns work
Most of the effort in a good prompt goes into structure, not wording — deciding that this kind of task needs a source boundary, an output specification and an assumptions section.
That decision is the same every time you do that kind of task. A pattern saves you making it again.
A pattern has slots, not sentences
PATTERN SHAPE
Name: what family of tasks this covers
Use when: the signal that this is the right pattern
Do not use when: where it fails
Slots: the parts you fill in each time
Fixed rules: the lines that never change
Output spec: format and required sections
Review: what to check, and at what level
Known failure: what goes wrong with this pattern, and the guard against itThe "known failure" line is what separates a pattern from a template. It carries what you learned the hard way.
Patterns need maintenance
A pattern that is never revised becomes a superstition — rules nobody remembers the reason for.
Module 6's maintenance habits apply: reasons attached to unusual rules, a version and a date, and a retire-when condition.
Four families cover most work
The next four units cover writing and editing, research and source checking, analysis and comparison, and teaching and explanation.
Most everyday requests are one of those. If a task fits none of them, that is worth noticing — it may be a task where AI assistance is a poor fit.
Mini practice
List the five AI-assisted tasks you do most often.
Group them into families.
If a family has three or more members, it is worth a pattern — and the next four units give you a starting shape.