
RS Glossary
Prompt Engineering
Prompt engineering is the deliberate design, testing, and revision of instructions and context used to guide an AI system toward a useful result.
- Review state
- Reviewed in POC
- Freshness
- Current
- Version
- 2
- Prompt Engineering
Remember it this wayDesign the request, test the result, and repair the conversation.
In plain language
People improve a request by clarifying the task, supplying relevant context, setting boundaries, showing examples, and checking the response. It is an iterative practice rather than a search for one magic phrase.
Why it matters
Clear inputs reduce avoidable ambiguity, but prompting cannot repair missing data, unsuitable models, broken workflows, or absent human review.
Example
A team tests several versions of a document-summary prompt, compares results against a checklist, and records which context and constraints improve reliability.
Common misconception
Prompt engineering is not a guarantee of correctness and is not the whole discipline of working effectively with AI.
Related terms
Sources
- Google Cloud, *Introduction to Prompt Design*vendor-primary guidance on designing, testing, and iterating instructions and context for generative models.
- NIST, *Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: Generative Artificial Intelligence Profile* (NIST AI 600-1)risk-management context for prompts, prompt injection, testing, and human oversight.
Learn more
- Use the Learning Lab's conversation-engineering material with [[prompt|Prompt]] and [[human-review|Human Review]].
Public history
45 recorded events · 45 public summaries
A potential shared concept was discussed and selected for initial glossary drafting.
The captured candidate received a complete initial draft and entered section-level human review.
Radar reviewed the initial definition draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial plain-language-explanation draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial why-it-matters draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial example draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial common-misconception draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial remember-it-this-way draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial related-terms draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial sources draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial learn-more draft for human consideration.
A proposal was opened for section-level human review while preserving the current version.
A human reviewer opened a proposed revision while preserving the current approved or captured version.
definition approved by a human reviewer.
plain-language-explanation approved by a human reviewer.
why-it-matters approved by a human reviewer.
example approved by a human reviewer.
common-misconception approved by a human reviewer.
remember-it-this-way approved by a human reviewer.
related-terms approved by a human reviewer.
sources returned for revision.
learn-more approved by a human reviewer.
Requested wording was prepared without changing approved or existing sections.
Radar reviewed the pending sources section for human consideration.
Radar must rereview the complete prompt-engineering term after an accepted text change.
Radar must rereview the complete prompt-engineering term after an accepted text change.
Radar must rereview the complete prompt-engineering term after an accepted text change.
Radar must rereview the complete prompt-engineering term after an accepted text change.
Radar must rereview the complete prompt-engineering term after an accepted text change.
Radar must rereview the complete prompt-engineering term after an accepted text change.
Radar must rereview the complete prompt-engineering term after an accepted text change.
Radar must rereview the complete prompt-engineering term after an accepted text change.
Radar must rereview the complete prompt-engineering term after an accepted text change.
sources approved by a human reviewer.
sources approved wording became the current section text.
All section gates are approved; content version 2 is now a fully approved term.
Radar rereviewed the human-approved definition wording for this exact version.
Radar rereviewed the human-approved plain-language-explanation wording for this exact version.
Radar rereviewed the human-approved why-it-matters wording for this exact version.
Radar rereviewed the human-approved example wording for this exact version.
Radar rereviewed the human-approved common-misconception wording for this exact version.
Radar rereviewed the human-approved remember-it-this-way wording for this exact version.
Radar rereviewed the human-approved related-terms wording for this exact version.
Radar rereviewed the human-approved sources wording for this exact version.
Radar rereviewed the human-approved learn-more wording for this exact version.
Source: vault/Glossary/terms/prompt-engineering/term.md · sha256:c0d0d4ca0c41b29988ca0e6bafcfe7c567cef92d6a2d03afd3bf892953198487 · Release: rs-glossary-glossary-team-poc-0.5.5-2026-09-02