Building AI Workflows: Input → Processing → Output
You design reusable AI workflows for recurring tasks.
Why this lesson matters
So far you've used AI for separate tasks: writing an email, building a formula, summarising a document. Handy, but the real productivity gain comes when you link tasks together into a workflow.
An AI workflow is a repeatable process: same input, same steps, same output. Every week, every month. Your only job left is checking the result.
What is an AI workflow?
A workflow has three parts:
- 1Input, the data or information that comes in
- 2Processing, what AI does with it (the prompt chain)
- 3Output, the end result in the right format
The difference from a single prompt: a workflow has several steps that build on each other. The output of step 1 is the input of step 2.
A prompt chain is a series of prompts that build on each other. Instead of one mega-prompt that has to do everything at once, you split the job into smaller, focused steps. Each step does one thing well.
Steps to build a workflow
Step 1: Define the input
What comes in? Be specific:
Keep reading
Leave your name and email address and you can read the rest
You get the whole lesson right away, and every other lesson stays open after that. No password, no confirmation email.
| Input type | Example | How to supply it |
|---|---|---|
| Data | Weekly sales figures | CSV upload or copy from a Sheet |
| Text | Meeting notes | Copy from Notion/Teams |
| Document | Last month's monthly report | PDF upload |
| Multiple sources | Sales data + customer feedback + targets | Several files + context |
Step 2: Design the prompt chain
Break your processing into steps. Each step has one clear task:
Step 1: "Analyse this sales data. For each region give:
total revenue, number of deals, average deal size."
Step 2: "Compare these results with the targets
[paste targets]. Which regions are on track,
which are behind?"
Step 3: "Write a management summary of max 200
words. Tone: businesslike. End with 3 recommendations."Step 3: Set the output format
Define exactly what the end result looks like:
- Table? Bullets? Running text?
- How many words/bullets?
- What level of detail?
Example 1: Weekly management report
Example 2: Invoice processing workflow
Reusing templates
The whole point of a workflow is that you repeat it. Save your prompts as templates.
A practical approach
- 1Create a document (Notion, Google Doc) with your workflow
- 2Mark variables with [brackets]: "Analyse [DATASET] and compare with [PREVIOUS PERIOD]"
- 3Number the steps so you know which output feeds which next step
- 4Add instructions for yourself: where you get the input, where you put the output
Start with your most time-consuming weekly task. Build a workflow for that one. Once it runs, take the next. Within a month you'll have 3-4 workflows that save you hours every week.
Test your knowledge
What is the advantage of a prompt chain over a single long prompt?
Which of these does NOT belong in an AI workflow?
Want to keep your progress, get the practice files and sign up for the free evening? Create a free account. All you do is click a link in your email.
Create a free account