Prompt Engineering: Structure, Context and Constraints

You can build a prompt with role, task, format and constraints.

Why this lesson matters

You now know that a good prompt is more than a question. But how do you build such a prompt? Is there a structure that always works?

Yes. There's a framework you can use as a blueprint for almost any prompt. Whether you want an email, a report, an analysis or a presentation, the framework is the same. In this lesson you'll learn it by heart.

The Prompt Framework

Every strong prompt contains up to five building blocks:

Building block	What it does	Example
Persona	Gives the AI a role and expertise	"You're a senior financial analyst"
Task	What exactly the AI has to do	"Write a quarterly report"
Context	Background and relevant details	"For an SME with €5M revenue"
Format	What the result should look like	"Use a table with 4 columns"
Constraints	Limits and conditions	"Max 500 words, no jargon"

Going deeper

You don't always need all five building blocks. For a simple question, Task + Context is often enough. But the more complex the assignment, the more building blocks you need.

Building block 1: Persona

By giving the AI a role, you steer the tone, the knowledge level and the angle of the answer.

Compare:

text

Explain inflation.

vs.

text

You're an economics lecturer at a university of applied sciences. Explain inflation to first-year students who have no background in economics.

The first answer turns into a Wikipedia article. The second turns into an understandable explanation at the right level.

Good personas:

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"You're an experienced project manager in the IT sector"
"You're a communications adviser at a local council"
"You're a data analyst who reports to management"

Building block 2: Task

The task is the heart of your prompt. Be as concrete as you can here.

Weak: "Help me with a presentation"

Strong: "Create an outline for a 10-slide presentation on the migration to cloud software. Each slide has a title and 3 bullet points."

Tip

Use active verbs: write, analyse, create, compare, summarise, assess. This gives the AI a clear action point.

Building block 3: Context

Context is everything that helps the AI understand your situation. Without context, AI gives a generic answer. With context, you get something tailored.

Types of context:

Type and size of the business
Audience for the result
Reason or problem
Earlier attempts or the current situation

Building block 4: Format

Tell the AI exactly what the result should look like:

Bullet points or running text?
A table with specific columns?
Numbered steps?
Email format with a subject line?
Maximum length?

Example:

text

Give the result as a table with the columns: Risk | Likelihood (high/medium/low) | Impact | Measure

Building block 5: Constraints

Constraints are your guardrails. They stop the AI from wandering off too far.

Examples of constraints:

"Don't use technical jargon"
"Base yourself only on the data provided"
"Maximum 300 words"
"Don't name any competitors"
"Write in Dutch"

Example: the complete framework in action

Say you want a financial report written:

text

[Persona] You're a senior financial controller at a mid-sized manufacturing company.

[Task] Write a management summary of the quarterly report for Q3 2024.

[Context] The company had revenue of €12M in Q3, which is 8% below budget. Margin rose from 22% to 25% thanks to lower purchasing costs. Staff costs are 5% above budget because of 3 extra FTEs.

[Format] Structure:
1. Key figures (table)
2. Analysis of deviations (max 200 words)
3. Three concrete action points

[Constraints] Max 400 words in total. No jargon: the report goes to the board, who have no financial background. Write in Dutch.

Quiz

?Knowledge check

You want Claude to write an email to an unhappy customer. Which building block is missing from this prompt: "Write an email to a customer. Maximum 200 words."?

?Knowledge check

Which order is most effective when building a prompt?